Northern Stars
by the ramblin rose
Summary: Sequel to Phantom Hearts but written to stand alone as well. The group must continue on and Daryl and Carol have more responsibilities in this world gone mad. Whole (most?) group involvement. OCs as supporting characters. Will they survive and make this a life worth living? Caryl, Carol, Daryl Dixon
1. Chapter 1

**AN: So this is a sequel to "Phantom Hearts," but I'm also going to try to write most of it so it can stand alone if you haven't read the first story. I'm about to put a bunch of information here about the story and the characters, but if you don't want to read it, skip on ahead to the chapter.**

**I do not own the Walking Dead or its characters. I don't make any money off of this, it's just for fun. The only thing I own are some OCs, some perhaps original plot lines (perhaps not), and a great love for the show…etc…etc…etc…**

**The image from the cover came from Google. It's not mine either. **

**So this is one that I'll update from time to time. Truth is that some of it has just been hanging out on my desktop because I hadn't decided to load it. I'm not going to promise that it's going to be updated with any real regularity, but since parts of it have been plaguing me to write them, I figured I'd share it with you as it does get written simply so it will leave me alone. **

**This one picks up a few days after "Phantom Hearts" leaves off, but the story will pretty much be an individual story, I think. That means that characters will be a little different, the tone will be a little different, etc. I'm just warning you of that. **

**If you read it and you like it, please review. Reviews always feed my desire to keep writing even when I'm tired and don't feel like writing. If you don't review, though, I still appreciate your reading it! **

**Chapters may be shorter sometimes and longer others, it just depends. If you know my writing style then you know they're always somewhat "episodic." **

**I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think! **

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Whether or not there were even many people left in the world remained to be seen. As far as anyone knew there were only a handful left…maybe a few more out there that they hadn't encountered yet…but really there was no confirmation for any of it and it really didn't matter all that much. For all they really knew, there was no one left but their little group…their family…their tribe even. The Governor's men…the crazy people that they had encountered along the way…they could indicate the presence of others, or they may have been the last of their kind. There was no way of knowing, and as long as they didn't come calling at the prison gates, there was little need to worry too much.

What was surely a fact, though, was that if you asked most of the people in their family, or you asked anyone else that might be alive out there somewhere about what life had been like years ago versus what it was like now, they'd have likely told you that somewhere…years ago…the world had come to a crashing halt. Everything had ended and everything had gone to shit.

The dead had taken up one day, gotten to their feet, and had become determined to destroy civilization. Life as they'd all known it had gone crashing down around their feet and all the things that had been important, especially all of the material things, had simply ceased to be quite so important.

And now life was about survival. And by most standards it was a hard life, and a cruel life. It was probably best viewed as a terrible existence that they all had now. There was simply nothing left except the few survivors in a world that they had to learn to navigate in an entirely different way than before if they wanted any chance at all of even living to see the next day.

Yes, if you asked almost anyone you'd probably hear all about how the world had gone to hell and everything that was great and was wonderful before, was all reduced to a steaming pile of shit.

Daryl Dixon knew that's what everyone most likely thought about it all. Sure, their opinions varied slightly depending on the person, but for the most part everyone saw the then versus the now as some kind of shift that had undeniably moved from better to worse.

Except Daryl Dixon didn't see it that way. Once upon a time, perhaps, that might have been his perspective. He thought he could vaguely remember, just as they'd been expecting the world to go up in a blazing inferno, that he had been sure that it was all over and that the best was behind them. He thought he could remember thinking that maybe the best thing that could happen to them all was calling it quits and giving up…after all, what were they fighting for anyway? It was all gone.

Of course, that would also have been a version of him that would have thought anyone a fool that told him that the dead would start walking, the world would go to shit, and he would find himself absolutely the happiest he'd ever been. He'd have called them crazy if he'd heard them say that he'd reach the damn end of the world and for the first time in his life he'd feel completely overwhelmed…not only by how much he loved…but by how much he was loved.

Daryl remembered reading the fucking story of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" when he was a kid and he'd thought it was kind of a stupid story. He remembered parts of it, though he didn't boast to remember the children's book in its entirety, but the most ridiculous part…the part that stuck with him the most through all the years…was that he remembered when the book said something about the Grinch's heart growing on Christmas. He even remember the stupid line, or at least the gist of it. "The Grinch's heart grew three sizes that day." He'd read it and he'd always thought it was the dumbest thing in the world to think that something so small as a Christmas gift or a tree…or a party…or whatever the fuck it had been that had melted the Grinch's ice heart, would be something that could change someone, or in the Grinch's case something, so damn much. And he certainly hadn't believed that it could happen so quickly…just in the span of a day the Grinch's whole mentality…everything he'd ever thought or felt in his damn Grinchy ice cave could just be turned right upside down.

But that's how the hell he felt like it had happened to him.

He sat now, his back resting against the dirty wall of a prison cell, his body on a makeshift bed formed out of two prison cots rustically wired together, his legs spread out in front of him, crossed at the ankle. And nestled in the crack between his thighs, twitching in his sleep every now and again was Daryl's son.

And in just the few days since the little thing had come to know the world…this world gone to shit which was the only world he'd ever know…Daryl felt like his heart was like the damn Grinch's heart. If it could grow without it bursting clean open in his chest, that's what had happened.

And the little fucker probably didn't weigh eight damn pounds if he weighed an ounce. He wasn't as big as most Christmas gifts…he wasn't as big as a Christmas tree…and there had been no party for him the day he'd come into the world, howling to beat the band…but he had done something to Daryl that he was positive could never be undone.

Beside him, on the other side of the rustically constructed bed, lie Carol. His wife. Daryl Dixon, was a married man, and though he couldn't say that it had never come at the cost of a disagreement or two…though he couldn't say that it had been the easiest damn thing he'd done so far to get where he was…he was pretty sure he was the happiest married man alive…and he wasn't even beginning to contribute that to the fact that he wasn't sure if he wasn't one of only two married men still left alive.

Everyone would have said that the world had gone to shit, but for Daryl it had become a place that was full of everything he'd never thought he'd have. He couldn't even miss the so called creature comforts that so many might have stacked their happiness on because not a single one of them mattered to him in comparison to what he had right now. If he'd been made king of the world it wouldn't have made him even one bit happier than he was at this moment with his son sleeping in his lap and his wife sleeping by his side.

"Why is his blanket off?" Daryl heard Carol say beside him, her voice heavy with the sleep she was rising out of.

Carol kept the baby wrapped up, and it was probably because it was cold as a witch's tit in most of the damn prison, but she'd drug one of the electric heaters that ran off a generator into their cell and their space was like living in a damn Dutch oven.

And Daryl's son, Cayden, was like his old man. He was hot natured. Daryl knew it because in the room, all wrapped up like a burrito or something, his son would get covered in a sheen of sweat and he'd start to change color. He slept better with the blanket open, like it was now, or even in other parts of the prison. But Carol was terrified he would get cold and he would get sick, so Daryl only opened the blanket and gave Cayden as much as air as he thought he needed when she wasn't looking.

"Better go back ta sleep," Daryl said. "Ain't gon' be too damn long he's gonna start that squeakin' shit an' ya gon' have ta get'cha ass up 'fore he starts howlin' ta beat the band."

"Is he cold?" Carol asked, leaning up a little. Daryl reached over and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Don't'cha see he's sleepin'?" Daryl asked. "He's just fine, woman. So damn hot in here a snowman couldn't be cold."

Daryl turned the heater off at night a good bit. He turned it off, honestly, almost every damn chance he got. He was like Cayden in that he too slept better when he was at least a little bit cool. Carol did too, but she wouldn't admit it. Right now she was soaked clean through with sweat, but she'd have stayed in a room that was hot enough to spontaneously combust if she thought it was good for the baby.

Finally, though, Carol gave in and rested her head again. Daryl reached over and ran his fingers through her hair, noticing it was wet and the short curls there were soaked through with sweat.

Daryl determined that the heater had to be turned off. He hated to move for the risk of waking his son, but he decided it had to be done. He carefully slid his hands up under the baby, hearing in his head every single time that Carol told him to support his head, and he carefully picked the baby up and brought him to the crook of his arm.

Cayden wiggled at first, like he was considering waking up, and then he closed his little mouth and turned his head, snuggling down into the crook of Daryl's arm and deciding that changing his location wasn't really worth abandoning his nap.

Daryl eased off the bed and turned the heater off.

"I'm hot as hell…how 'bout you?" Daryl whispered to the baby. He reached over and took the blanket that he'd freed his son from and threw it over his shoulder. If he was venturing out of the cell then he ran the risk of running into someone and he ran the risk of hearing some kind of lecture about not having the kid wrapped up. Sometimes he felt like people acted like walking around without a blanket on the baby was the equivalent of leaving the kid out in the snow. At least if he had the blanket with him he could save himself the trip back to the cell to remedy their bitching.

Daryl stepped out of the cell and walked along, up and down the corridor in front of the cells. Most everyone was busy with something, or they were hiding in their cells, Daryl wasn't sure which. He paced for a good few minutes without seeing or hearing any evidence of another living soul until he almost ran smack into Rick coming out of his cell.

"Out for a walk?" Rick asked quietly.

"Yeah," Daryl responded, keeping his own voice low as well. "Where the hell is everyone?"

He'd gone into his cell to keep Cayden company while Carol took a nap. She'd insisted on being on her feet and trying to help with the cooking, laundry, and other chores since the day after the kid was born, but Daryl managed to run her into cell at least once a day for a nap while Cayden was catching up on a little sleep. It wasn't like they were exactly getting full nights of sleep, so he figured both of them better snatch a little rest and here and there when they could.

"Here and there," Rick said. "Most everyone is in the gym. They've got a kickball and have devised some kind of game. I tried to join in, but I didn't have the patience to learn the rules and Judith didn't have any intention of skipping her nap."

"Where is she now?" Daryl asked.

"Sleeping," Rick said. "Just got her down. Don't you think he might need a blanket?"

Daryl sighed and reached around, picking up the blanket with his free hand and showing it to Rick.

"Don't'cha start that shit too, nagging me like an old woman," Daryl responded. "He likes it a lil' cool an' Carol's tryin' ta make him fuckin' well done."

Rick chuckled softly.

"How's she doing?" Rick asked.

Daryl sighed.

"Kid ain't but a week old an' she's been insistin' on workin' damn near a week," Daryl responded. "Wish she'd just cool her jets."

Rick nodded.

"Carol's like that…" he said. "She's going to do what she has to try to take care of everyone."

Rick clapped Daryl on the shoulder and leaned his head toward him, lowering his voice a little.

"And that's why you have to be the one to take care of her," Rick said.

Daryl nodded his head. Cayden was starting to stir and Daryl knew it was going to be time to eat soon. He didn't dare go too far with his son when he had him because the little thing wanted to eat all the time it seemed.

"I'm doin' what I can," Daryl said, shifting the baby a bit as he started the squeaking noises he made to tell Daryl and anyone else that was listening that he expected a magical milk producing boob and he expected it soon.

Rick squeezed Daryl's shoulder, smiling.

"And you're doing well," Rick responded. "Looks like he's starting to make demands again."

Daryl smiled and shook his head slightly.

"All the damn time," he responded. He didn't say anything else before turning and heading back toward his cell to rouse Carol and offer her the baby.

Carol did try to take care of everyone else, and no matter how much that might bother Daryl, he couldn't do anything about it. He would do whatever he could, though, to take care of her and to take care of Cayden. They were the most important thing in his world now. They were his entire world, and Daryl Dixon was a man who believed in taking care of what was his, no matter what he had to do to achieve that goal.

Daryl smiled as he ducked into the cell, his son starting to really raise his voice in protest over the fact that he was so damn hungry he couldn't remember his last meal, even though Daryl thought there was still some evidence of it dried in the corner of his mouth. Carol was already awake, somehow able to hear even the softest of squeaks a mile away.

Carol frowned at him when he came in.

"Why isn't he wrapped up?" She asked.

Daryl smiled at her.

"Get off my ass an' get them boobies out," Daryl said, shifting his son to pass him to her. "He ain't cold, he's starvin'."

Carol didn't argue with him anymore. She was out of her shirt in a matter of seconds and Daryl watched, as he always did, still a little amazed when his son latched on to feed.

Daryl sat on the side of the bed beside Carol. He watched her watching Cayden and then reached over, catching her head and pulling her toward him enough to kiss her temple. She smiled, moaning a little at him with the satisfaction of being kissed.

"Soon as he eats," Daryl said, "ya goin' ta go back ta sleep for a bit."

"I'm going to have to help with dinner soon," Carol protested.

Daryl growled in her ear, holding her face close to him.

"Not tonight, ya ain't," Daryl said. "That's an order."

"You're the boss of me?" Carol teased.

"Damn straight, woman," Daryl responded. "So top the bean off an' start thinkin' 'bout what the hell kinda dream world ya wanna dream about 'cause ya goin' ta sleep."

Carol chuckled softly.

"I think I'm already living my dream," Carol said.

She turned then and kissed Daryl and he leaned into the kiss. It was going to kill him not being able to be with her until Alice said it was OK, but he could hold out…It was just too bad that kisses like that always left him wanting more of her than he could have.

"That's alright," Daryl said. "Ya still goin' ta sleep."

"You're going to watch Cayden?" Carol asked, switching the baby over to her other breast as he smacked at her and obviously considered fussing about the interruption to his dining experience.

"Ya know it," Daryl said.

"And you're going to wrap him up so he doesn't get cold?" Carol asked.

Daryl chuckled and growled at her again.

"I'll wrap the fuckin' kid up like a damn burrito or some shit," Daryl said. "Don't'cha worry about it."

"I have to worry, Daryl," Carol said. "It's my job."

"Don't I fuckin' know it?" Daryl responded.

Carol laughed at him and he continued to sit beside her, watching her feed their son. When she was done, she took the blanket from him and he watched as she rolled the baby back up in the tight little bundle that he'd freed him from earlier. He didn't protest, though. Daryl slid back on the bed in the position that he'd been in before, grateful that she hadn't noticed that he'd turned the heat off and accepted the baby from her.

Carol settled down next to him, yawning widely, and Daryl sat there holding his son and running his fingers through her soft short curls until her breathing evened out.

For however many people that were left in the world, it may have all gone to shit. For everyone else it may very well have seemed like the end. Daryl didn't dispute that truth for a single other living soul, but for him, it felt like it was really just beginning.

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**AN: Obviously, I do not own "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," but I'll put it here if it needs to be said. I hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you think! I'll try to update sometime, but like I said, I'll only be updating this one as it bugs me to be updated…at least until "Broken Mirrors" or "Lightning Only Strikes Once" is done. **


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: OK, so this one is still getting started good. This was the second chapter that I had mostly done, but it needed a little work.**

**In light of what's happened in Season 4, I almost hate that Karen is sort of "bad guy" in this fic…but let's face it, my Karen is basically an OC who has the name and the same appearance as the woman from the show, that's really it. **

**Also, I'm including an OC "dictionary" of sorts at the end for anyone who is reading this without having read Phantom Hearts or anyone who needs a refresher course.**

**I hope you enjoy the chapter! Let me know what you think! **

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Carol had Cayden packed into his seat with blankets and had the seat resting on a chair near her. He preferred the seat, though it was much too big for a baby his size and therefore required a lot of padding, to being left lying down in the cradle that Ned had made for her. The seat was also a lot more portable than the heavy wooden cradle and she wasn't required to drag it around with so much force to go from the room they did the laundry in to the room they hung it to dry.

Carol assumed that the cradle was boring. It wasn't like they had much to entertain the baby, and even though Carol was his mother and would have thought he was perfect no matter what, she really did believe that he was very alert to be more or less a week old. The seat at least let him look around at things that were happening instead of having only the option to stare off at nothingness.

Carol hadn't allowed herself much of a break since Cayden had come. She'd been, whether rationally or irrationally, paranoid about the others and that people might think she was taking advantage of the situation or using the birth of the baby as an excuse to get out of work, so she'd been doing her best since the morning after he was born to keep going with one activity or the other.

Today she was doing laundry. She didn't mind doing it all that much…not really. It kept her on her feet, and though she was tired, the activities that required her to sit for a long period of time were more uncomfortable. She didn't complain, though, not wanting to draw attention.

Really the only bad part of having laundry duty today was that she was paired with Karen and Cynthia. On their own, neither woman was a nightmare, but together they could be a little much to deal with.

Karen had come to the group from Woodbury, and in the beginning Carol had felt for the woman a good deal. She'd lost her son in the whole fiasco with the Governor and Carol knew what it felt like to lose a child. It was one of the things that had drawn her closer to Michonne over the time that they'd known each other. Together they'd been able to share the little things that you thought about…little things that made it feel like someone was taking your breath away or stabbing something clean through your heart…that came out of nowhere.

But Karen hadn't been interested, or so it seemed, in that kind of camaraderie. She'd firmly established herself as an "outsider" to the group and she'd held tight to that for the longest time.

She'd had a brief relationship with Rick that had been little more, at least as far as they could tell, than a comforting fuck buddy kind of system, but that had passed. She'd also had a spell of sharp negativity toward Carol fueled by some apparent interest in having a relationship with Daryl…one that never sprung to fruition.

Now she was part of the group, but on her own in a way. She stuck tight to Cynthia, though, and the two women had become very good friends. Alice suspected, and shared her suspicions with Carol that they might be a couple all their own, but Carol had no evidence of that and wasn't as confident about it as Alice and Mel.

Cynthia had come to them with another small group that they'd found…back before the toxic mold incident that had been at least temporarily tragic for their group. She wasn't a bad person, but it was evident that Cynthia was jaded by this life, though she was secretive and no one really knew her story, and she had obviously come from a lifestyle that wasn't conducive to preparing her at all for what they now knew as life. Cynthia had also been one of the main targets of the last madman to set his sights on their group and she hadn't walked away from the encounter undamaged, at least not emotionally. Because of all that, and maybe because of other things that Carol didn't even know about, the woman was prone to depression and negativity to say the least. Alice called her Little Mary Sunshine most of the time, and the two of them butted heads on a regular basis over nearly everything.

When Karen and Cynthia joined forces they were almost like some kind of mythical creature of negativity roaming about the prison, and Carol had somehow ended up on their bad side simply because of Cayden from what she could tell, though her relationship with her husband might have had something to do with it. It seemed that negative people could never stand to see someone who was happy, despite their situation, and therefore their negativity was just that much more tenfold.

So today, when they'd ended up on laundry duty together, Carol had done everything that she could do to make sure that she was always doing the opposite of what the other two were doing. If they were washing in the large sinks they used in the washroom and storage area, she was hanging clothes to dry on the many cords hung up for just that purpose in the next room. If they were hanging clothes, she quickly took to washing. Avoiding them was easier, though her paranoia fed her the idea that they were still looking down on her for something.

Carol knew that the women shouldn't bother her. She fought with herself over trying to ignore them entirely, but she wasn't good at it. Try as she might, she wasn't as good as some of the others at ignoring them. Perhaps she was too sensitive, but she took it to heart when she heard their comments, and she got stressed out simply by the feeling that someone didn't like her. It wasn't that she felt like she needed to be liked by everyone, but she preferred to know why someone didn't like her if that was the case.

Cayden called out from his spot and Carol passed around, near the chair his seat was resting in, and smiled at the little boy. He was awake and looking about, though she knew that he couldn't see very far just yet.

"What's going on?" She asked him. "Mama's almost done here, and then we'll go and wash some more…you're getting a bath tonight. I'm going to wipe you down so you'll sleep better."

Carol didn't know if she made it up or not, but she felt like her son responded to her voice.

In general, she felt like he was a very good baby. When he cried it was for a reason. Usually that reason was that he was hungry, but sometimes it was that he needed to be changed, or he was cold. The prison was freezing, and most of them spent much of the day with their teeth chattering, but Carol tried to keep Cayden bundled up so that he wouldn't know how cold the place they called home could be.

Cayden liked to be held, too. He particularly liked for her to hold him and talk to him, but he adored Daryl as well and was well behaved for his Daddy except when he was hungry. The boy also seemed fond of Alice and Carol attributed it to the fact that in the womb hers had likely been a voice that he'd heard a good deal. Michonne could get him to quiet down as well, and surprising Glenn and Wyatt both had a knack with the boy. The others he would let hold him for a spell, sometimes, but then he would start to get fussy.

And while Carol was considering this, her son started to fuss. He was slow to get into it, always providing a warning period, but soon he would launch into a howl if he wasn't attended to.

"Give me a minute," Carol said to the baby. He was probably hungry again. Carol couldn't remember how often Sophia fed when she was a baby, but Cayden had only short grace periods between feedings so far, and he was a little man who didn't care to miss a meal for anything.

She wanted to get the laundry hung up, though, so that she could sit for a moment and feed him in peace without thinking about the clothes that were piled up and wouldn't dry for a while as it was because of the cold, though they did try to get a heater running in the room from time to time.

When Carol hung the last garment up, Cayden had launched into a full-fledged squall. He was letting her know that he was starving and she was tardy and he didn't appreciate it one little bit.

"My goodness," she cooed at him, getting him out of his seat and grabbing one of the blankets to cover herself with. "Is it all that serious?"

The baby didn't stop his screaming, obviously his response. She carried him to one of the chairs by the wall…one she'd padded for her own comfort…and settled down with him. He latched quickly and easily, understanding this part of his routine better than any other, and she covered herself with the blanket, leaning her head back on the wall and closing her eyes to try and steal a few moments of rest while she had an excuse not to be elbow deep in other people's dirty underwear.

Coming from the other room, though, she could clearly hear the only slightly muffled conversation that was taking place between Karen and Cynthia. She tried not to listen, but she ended up listening to the snatches that she could hear anyway.

"Well, she never puts him down…the minute he cries…" Karen said. "…draw the Walkers down on us all…it'll be her fault."

"…used to be bad enough…bad time to be spoiled…" Cynthia said.

"…can't say anything…her attack dogs will come…" Karen responded.

Carol's heart was pounding. She didn't need any of the rest of it. Everything she'd ever felt guilty about in her life was crashing around inside her these days. Since she'd had Cayden she felt even more emotional than she had in the days before and she'd taken all the time she wasn't sleeping to think over every terrible thing that had ever happened to her before and to carefully consider everything that could happen now.

She could fill in the rest of the gaps to their conversation, and they were probably right. Maybe she was already spoiling her son. Maybe she was coddling him too much. She _did_ pick him up as soon as she could when he started crying, and maybe she was wrong for that. She assumed he was hungry when he was crying and clean…and usually he ate like he was hungry so she suspected she was right…but maybe he was merely seeking attention. Maybe she was giving him too much attention…

And if she was doing that, then it would be true. He could fuss and bring Walkers down on them when they moved on. They'd talked about moving on and planned to move on when the weather warmed. She'd hate to know that she'd been the reason that any of them got killed. And worse than that, she couldn't take losing Cayden. She'd lost Sophia, and she beat herself up nearly every day for not jumping over that guard rail and going after her herself, unarmed, the day that Sophia had been separated from them. She could have at least stopped the Walkers for them to save Sophia…even if they'd been eating her, it would have bought them time to stop them from getting her daughter…but she hadn't done it, and she'd lost her baby girl. She wasn't going to lose her son too.

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Daryl had just come in from walking the perimeter and he was freezing. The halls of the prison, with the heaters off until later, were still warmer than it was outside. In fact, outside he was pretty damn sure that the only reason they weren't buried under a thick coating of ice was because of the fact that there wasn't any precipitation. That was the only reason because it was certainly cold enough to freeze that shit.

It wouldn't be too long before supper, though, and Daryl had already seen Milagros and Imogene working on making something that smelled pretty damn good, so he thought he'd go inside, warm up in his cell which was probably toasty, and check on Carol and Cayden.

As soon as he came in, though, he could tell that things weren't paradise with them at the moment. Cayden was howling and Daryl wondered what was taking Carol so long to quiet him down since the boy didn't normally howl for long if he ever got started.

Daryl came to the cell first that was Cayden's "nursery", though he spent very little time in there. The nursery boasted a crib, a changing table designed by Michonne, and a rocking chair. Cayden spent very little time in the room, though, since he slept in his cradle in their cell at night and tended to follow someone around in his little chair thing during the day.

Now, though, Cayden was in his crib, screaming pathetically, and he was alone. Daryl looked around and walked over to where his son was. The poor thing was red in the face and pumping his little arms and legs while he howled.

"Where's ya Ma, buddy?" Daryl asked the baby, scooping him up and hovering him over his head so that he could smell him. Daryl was afraid to hold the kid in more than a couple of positions, so he'd learned to improvise. The baby smelled clean.

"Don't pick him up…" He heard Carol's voice call from the cell next to him…the one that they occupied.

Daryl looked at the howling baby he was already holding and lowered him back down, the baby bucking against his hands a little as he did so.

"Any particular reason why not?" Daryl asked, looking at his hands. He reached over and picked up the pacifier, or as he liked to think of it, the rubber nipple, and tried to put it in his son's mouth, but Cayden wasn't having any part of the fake nipple.

Daryl walked out and pushed into his cell. Carol was sitting on the bed with a basket of mending, but it was obvious from her face that she was doing much more crying than mending. Daryl winced a little. There were a lot of hormones in his life and he didn't pretend to understand or enjoy any of them. He had a feeling this was going to be one of those things he simply wasn't going to understand.

"He needs to learn to soothe himself," Carol said, her voice shaky. "He has to know that…he has to know that sometimes he won't just have all the…"

Carol broke off and worked quietly at what she was doing for a moment and Daryl watched her, confusion flowing over him that was coupled with the grating feeling that his son's howls produced.

"Attention…" Carol finished. "He's not always going to have all the attention that he wants…we can't spoil him."

Daryl couldn't control his brows wrinkling together.

"Yeah…" he said, not really knowing what to say. "I think he might be hungry."

Carol swiped at her face.

"He's…he shouldn't be…he's fine," she said.

Daryl frowned. He didn't exactly know what had happened since he'd gone out this morning to take watch and then do perimeter checks, but something was going on. Carol wasn't fine…that much was evident…and Daryl was pretty damn sure that Cayden wasn't fine.

Daryl walked out of the cell without another word to Carol though. He hovered outside of the nursery cell, feeling like he really wanted to pick the baby up but he didn't know if he should.

"Alice!" He called, hoping the woman was around somewhere and could hear him. "Alice! Where the fuck are ya?"

Alice appeared a moment later on the walkway above Daryl, just outside her cell and hung over the edge.

"Are you fucking crucifying the bean? What the hell is going on down there?" Alice called down to him.

"Get'cha ass down here…an' bring Mel if ya got her…" Daryl said.

The brunette disappeared, but Daryl knew she'd be down in a moment. He and Alice both enjoyed the charade that they hated one another…but really nothing could be farther from the truth if Daryl was admitting it to himself. The woman had helped him and Carol probably more than anyone else with their relationship, and she was a bitch, but he was fond of her. He thought that if he'd ever had a sister…if there'd ever been any woman that would have survived being the sibling of both him and Merle…it probably would have been Alice.

A few minutes later, she was standing next to him, her partner Melodye hovering off to the side a little.

"Why the hell is he screaming his lungs out?" Alice asked, putting her hands over her ears. "Where's Carol?"

Daryl pointed to the cell and tried to give Alice a look that might convey that he had absolutely no idea what was happening here.

"Said not ta pick him up…said we can't spoil him," Daryl responded.

Alice went into Cayden's little cell and picked the baby up that had worked himself into a tizzy. She held him up, bringing her cheek to his face.

"He's hungry," Alice said, looking at Daryl like he was the stupid one. Daryl shrugged at her. Alice growled at him and maneuvered the baby, looking into the crib. "Where's his pacifier at least?"

Daryl held it up and Alice charged out of the cell snatching it from his hand and trying to convince the baby he wanted it, but he was too far gone to be fooled by the rubber nipple.

Alice walked to the cell where Carol was and Daryl followed her inside, Melodye hovering against the wall just inside the door. She tended to be more the passive one of the pair, but she was good at talking sense into almost anyone when she felt the need to finally do so.

"Carol…your baby is crying," Alice said with a sigh, holding the little thing. Carol looked at her and Daryl could see that she was barely holding back from crying as hard as he was. "And you're crying…" Alice added.

Alice looked at Daryl.

"Why the fuck is everyone crying? I'm going to start crying if someone doesn't tell me what the hell is going on here," Alice said.

Daryl shrugged. He was as much in the dark as she was.

"Here, he's hungry," Alice offered, moving toward Carol with the baby.

"He should be fine…" Carol said, her voice wracked with sobs. "He needs to soothe himself…"

"Yeah…he'll do that just as soon as you feed him," Alice said. "Why are you crying?"

Carol broke then, letting the sobs escape and she flapped an arm at Alice.

"Because he's crying!" Carol responded. "My baby is crying and I want to hold him but I don't want to spoil him…"

Alice shot Daryl another look. He wished she'd quit looking at him like that. He was innocent in this mess and had no idea what the hell was going on. He was merely an innocent bystander.

"Carol," Alice said. "The bean is hungry. He's crying because he wants you…and you're crying because you want him. I need a little help with what the problem is here…"

"Cynthia and Karen were talking," Carol started.

She was interrupted by a frustrated growl from Alice and Daryl knew why. The two damn women ran their mouths about everything and they knew how to push Carol's buttons like it was their damn job. Daryl wanted to hit both of them regularly, and had they been men he probably would have.

"Carol," Alice said, this time directing her glance at Mel, "your baby is hungry…not spoiled. He's a week old…I don't even think they can be spoiled yet. Mel…can you be spoiled at a week old?"

Melodye shook her head.

"No…not at a week old. He doesn't know enough to be spoiled," Melodye offered.

Daryl sighed and leaned back against the wall nearest him, his ears ringing.

"You need to feed him," Alice said. "You need to feed him any fucking time he wants to eat and if anyone has a problem with that then tell them to go have a nice, personal chat with a well-rotted Walker."

Carol sighed, but after a moment, tears still streaming down her face, she took the baby from Alice and moved to give him what he wanted, though he took his time in latching and even after he'd done so, pulled his head away to protest the wait a little more before latching back and finally quieting down, his face set in a deep frown.

"He wants to eat all the time," Carol said. "Is he really hungry all the time?"

Alice shrugged a little.

"I'm a cardiologist, not a lactation specialist," she offered. "But like anything else, your body has to adjust to him…and we don't eat like we should. I'd say it's fine. He's healthy and…generally speaking…happy and so are you. If the kid wants to hang off your boob twenty four hours a day and he's actually taking something out of it, then I'd say let him have all his little ass wants."

Carol sobbed and wiped at her nose with the shirt that she'd taken off and tossed on the bed beside her, her sense of privacy or modesty lost completely inside her cell. She nodded her head.

"I just don't want him to be spoiled…I don't want him to be weak," Carol said.

"Our kid ain't weak," Daryl said suddenly. "An' he ain't never gonna be weak…"

Daryl looked at the two other women in the space, begging them with his eyes for assurance that he was right. He already loved his son more than he ever imagined was possible and the last damn thing he wanted was to think that he wouldn't be prepared for the world. He wanted them to make sure that he was, if nothing else, prepared for everything he would probably face.

Melodye smiled softly at Daryl.

"The bean isn't weak," Mel said. "He's really pretty strong, for his age…and getting enough nutrition will just make him stronger."

Alice walked over and stooped down so that she could be closer to eye level with Carol.

"Feed the kid…love the kid. I don't think there was ever a single damn soul in the world that was fucked up because their Mama loved them too much when they were a baby. Am I right, Mel?" She called over her shoulder.

Melodye laughed.

"Not that ever came through my office," she offered.

"So feed the baby…not the bitches," Alice said.

Carol chuckled a little in spite of herself.

"We'll worry about the spoiling shit when he gets older, OK?" Alice asked.

Carol nodded, sucking back tears and rubbing at the baby's face. Daryl walked over, sitting down on the bed and moving to wrap his arm around her. Carol leaned into him.

"I'm sorry…" she said to him.

"Ain't nothin' but a thing," Daryl said, rubbing her back. "Just keep doin' what'cha doin' an' ta hell with 'em," he offered.

"Exactly," Alice said, straightening up. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some fucking heads to knock together."

Alice turned without saying anything else and started out the cell. Melodye shot them a quick look and then darted after her.

Daryl chuckled a little, imagining that the whole prison was going to hear about this in a few minutes. He leaned, kissing the side of Carol's face and watched Cayden.

"He looks pissed," Daryl said, laughing a little.

Carol sucked back a sob again.

"I'm sorry…" She said again.

"Hell, woman…he'll get over it," Daryl said. "You a damn good Mama…don't let no one tell ya that'cha ain't."

Carol nodded a little, but Daryl didn't know if she believed him entirely. He sighed and kissed her again, letting her lean into him to rest a little while their son tried to calm down and fully enjoy his meal.

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**AN: So like I said, here's the "dictionary" of sorts.**

**So far the only character we've lost from the group at the end of Season 3 is Beth (I'm pretty sure…correct me if I'm wrong). **

**Woodbury Group:  
**

**Of course you know Tyreese, Sasha, and Karen. We also have these OCs:**

**Alice: Doctor (cardiologist) who ended up with the Governor through one of his little attacks. She was not a Governor fan, obviously. She's a bit of a smart ass, but not really a bad person.**

**Melodye (Mel): Psychiatrist and Alice's life partner.**

**Pre-Ellis Group: (The "Ellis" plotline is part of Phantom Hearts)**

**Cynthia: Jaded, middle class, but we know very little about her. "Landed" in Atlanta during the break out because her plane wouldn't take off. Joined up with several people. Only two others survive and are with us from her group.**

**Milagros: Middle aged woman, found with Cynthia. We don't know much about her.**

**Brian: Contractor/Builder. Man found with Cynthia and Milagros. **

**Post-Ellis Group:**

**Ned: Old man, carpenter, woodworker**

**Wyatt: Ned's grandson. Perhaps slow witted, but nice guy. Also known as a "giant" for his impressive stature.**

**Imogene: Wyatt's sister.**

**I think that's all…again, correct me if I'm wrong. It can be hard to keep it all straight at times! **


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Here you go. **

**I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think! **

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Daryl had quickly offered to go and get supper for him and Carol both to avoid her having to leave the cell. She was still a little shook up over what had happened earlier with the women and from the sounds of their confrontation with Alice, he imagined they might not really want to see her.

When he made his way into the dining room area where Maggie and Milagros were serving up bowls of soup, he got into line quickly. Glenn was between him and Alice, so he reached over the Korean's shoulder and tugged at her hair. At first she jerked around, obviously still annoyed and looking to give Glenn a piece of her mind, but Daryl chuckled softly and she realized it was him before Glenn could even protest that the act hadn't been his doing.

Alice stepped out of line and Glenn moved up. She squeezed in front of Daryl, her arms wrapped tightly across her chest.

"What the hell do you want?" Alice asked.

"Me? You the fuckin' one moved outta line," Daryl responded.

Alice rolled her eyes and turned around to face Glenn's back.

When Karen went head to head with Alice, there really wasn't any question who was going to win. It wasn't so much that it ever came to blows…in fact it didn't ever come to that…but Alice was louder and more persistent than Karen ever dreamed of being.

Cynthia was a different story though. She would more than go at Alice with the same ferocity that Alice came at her with, though Daryl still considered it not to be much of a match because Alice never seemed to get tired once she was on the warpath.

"D'ja set 'em straight?" Daryl asked, leaning into the woman in front of him.

Alice huffed.

"Yeah…" She responded.

Daryl didn't know if she actually had or not, but he hated to think that it was going to have to come down to him having a talk with the women. Karen had pushed Carol's buttons for a long time, and he had tolerated it and simply worked to calm his wife down, but it was different if it was going to interfere with his son and what he needed.

Daryl didn't know that much about kids. It wasn't that he didn't like them or anything of the like, it was simply that he hadn't had much of a chance to be around them. Everything with Cayden was a learning experience, and in one week, Daryl had learned a lot.

He'd learned that he apparently had to support his son's head at all times. He didn't exactly know what would happen if he failed to do this, but he had the gnawing fear that it might fall off or something of the like because every time he'd picked him up around a handful of the women he'd felt like they'd all simultaneously launched themselves at him and yelled about supporting Cayden's head.

Daryl had also learned that his son could piss damn near across the cell and he saved that shit for the exact damn moment that Daryl was trying to change his diaper. He'd been soaked more than once.

Daryl also learned that his son was a pretty easy going baby. Most everyone commented on "how good" Cayden was and Daryl thought he was pretty damn great, but the one thing that he didn't mess around with was his food. Cayden seldom fussed over anything else, even leaving them to detect that he needed to be changed on their own most of the time, but if he so much as got an inkling that he might be hungry, all hell was bound to break loose.

And Daryl didn't appreciate any damn body doing anything that might make Carol not feed Cayden whenever the kid needed to be fed. That was a basic damn necessity in life.

He was also annoyed because whatever they'd said had Carol down and he hated to see her like that. He'd done enough pissing her off and hurting her himself…mostly by accident of course…and he didn't think that other people should do the same damn thing just because they were being spiteful bitches.

He hated the idea of having to confront two women…and would much rather leave that to Alice or Michonne if Carol wasn't up to it herself…but he'd do what he had to do if it came down to it. He wasn't going to let anyone…male or female…mess with his family.

Daryl took the bowls when they were offered to him, nodded in the direction of Alice and Mel who were eating at a table far removed from Cynthia and Karen, and made his way back to the cell.

As Daryl slipped into the cell he found Carol like he'd left her, sitting on the bed and mending, wearing a pair of reading glasses that looked like they'd been leftover from the seventies but were all that he could find when she said her vision was getting blurry.

Carol didn't look at him when he came in and he sat the bowls on the table by the bed.

"Put that shit away," Daryl said. "Need ta eat."

"I'll eat in a minute," Carol responded.

Daryl glanced over into Cayden's cradle where the baby was sleeping, all bundled up and probably roasting, but he didn't say anything.

He glanced back at Carol and growled a little, reaching over and tugging the mending out of her hand. She followed him as he pulled it, sticking the needle into it so she wouldn't lose it. He dropped it into the basket that she'd been working from and kicked the basket under the bed.

Carol looked at him, her lips slightly pursed in irritation.

"What's that about?" She asked.

Daryl offered her one of the bowls of soup…the one that he'd figured looked like it had more food and less water.

"Need ta fuckin' eat," he said again. "Spend all ya damn time doin' shit for everyone else…gotta eat 'cause ya still eatin' for two, whether or not Cayden's ass is inside or out."

Carol smiled at him and took the reading glasses off, putting them on the nightstand before she accepted the bowl. Daryl took his own and sat next to her on the bed.

The soup wasn't bad, but it wasn't as good as he hoped it would be either. It wasn't as hot as he wanted it. It was pretty tough to keep things warm in the prison these days and it was even worse when you got stuck in the back of the line.

"Why ya let 'em get to ya like that?" Daryl asked, once they were both eating. Carol cut her eyes in his direction and then focused back on her bowl.

"They're right, Daryl…" Carol said. "We have to be careful. _I_ have to be careful. This isn't a world…it isn't a world where we can afford to spoil him."

Daryl sighed. He'd thought this thing over a good deal during the silence that had followed the initial conflict earlier. He'd even taken another short walk around the yard outside so that he could think it over.

"We ain't fuckin' spoilin' him," Daryl said. "What the hell we done ta spoil his ass? Kid ain't even got no toys nor nothin'. He's got one damn pacifier…don't reckon he's spoiled one bit. Hell, Jude is more spoiled than he is."

"It's not about what he has, Daryl. He's too young for toys anyway. It's about…" Carol's voice broke off.

Daryl craned his neck and he could see her lip quivering. He didn't have to ask what it was about. He could pretty well figure it out. Cayden being here, although it made her very happy on the one hand, had stirred up a bunch of feelings about Sophia that she did her best to keep buried down. It had brought out nightmares that kept both of them awake many of the few hours they could have been sleeping while Cayden slept, and once or twice she'd cried out in her sleep and woken the baby.

"Hey…" Daryl said. "Done told ya ta stop worryin'. Ain't nothin' gonna happen, OK? Gonna make sure a' that."

Daryl knew it might be a lofty promise, but it was one that he was willing to keep to the death. He had his own regrets about Sophia, and now that he knew what it felt like to have his own child, he knew they didn't even compare to what Carol probably felt, but he would die himself before he let anything happen to the little boy.

He also knew that Carol was extra sensitive right now. Alice had written him a little novel about it in the notebook that she dropped off in his drawer on a regular basis. It had been one of her nicer notes, actually, simply reminding him that Carol's body was apparently going to have to get used to not being pregnant and that could…so he gathered...wreak a bunch of havoc on how the hell she dealt with everything. He was willing to tread carefully for a bit if that's what he needed to do.

"But when we move on…" Carol started.

"Eat'cha soup…'fore it gets cold," Daryl commanded. Carol went back to eating.

He'd been trying to keep most of the discussion about when they moved on away from her. It wasn't that he was hiding it from her or that he didn't feel like she could deal with it, it was simply that it wasn't something she needed to worry about right now. They were still just talking about it…still making plans. There was nothing set in stone and he felt like right now her focus needed to be on taking care of herself and making sure Cayden got the best start at this life that he could.

"When we move on," Daryl said, "ain't nothin' gonna change, woman. I'ma take care a' things. Ya gonna be just fine an' Cayden's gonna be fine too. Ain't no damn need ta start worryin' 'bout that shit when it ain't even close ta happenin'."

Carol nodded slightly, but she didn't say anything. She finished her soup about the time Daryl finished his and he stacked the bowls together to take back whenever they passed in that direction. Since he didn't know what to say, he settled for wrapping his arm around her shoulder and pulling her toward him and she snuggled against him, her head on his chest.

They sat like that for more than a few minutes, and they might have remained that way if it hadn't been for Melodye making her presence known at the cell door by clearing her throat loudly before ducking her head in.

Carol looked up from her position.

"The laundry room is pretty well warmed," Melodye said. "There's hot water in there for Cayden's bath…you might want to take him before it has time to cool off."

"Thanks Mel," Carol said softly.

Daryl stayed planted on the bed while Carol gathered their son out of his cradle. The baby didn't really wake up, though he did whine for a second before yawning and settling back down in her arms.

"I'm going to get the stuff to wash him," Carol said.

She left the cell and Daryl gathered up the dishes, thinking to drop them off as they passed through to bathe the baby. He wasn't going to take part in the activity, not trusting himself to do anything that delicate with Cayden yet, but he was going to watch so that he might feel better about doing it later.

When they reached the laundry room, empty except for their little family, Daryl watched as Carol methodically washed the baby off with the warm water and the bottle of soap that she had. She wiped him down a little at the time, drying him quickly and covering him up as she went.

Still, and despite her clear efforts to keep him from getting cold in the room that felt like a sauna to Daryl, by the time she finished Cayden was howling.

Carol didn't seem as phased by the howls as Daryl was, though. They weren't stirring her up like the ones earlier had done. She dressed the baby, bundled him in his blanket, and picked him, kissing his forehead before settling him back against her.

Daryl, feeling a little useless at the moment, gathered up everything she'd brought with them and followed her as she switched off the heater and headed back to their cell. Cayden had quieted down, but he was wide awake now. The bath had taken away whatever sleepiness had been there before.

"You want to hold him?" Carol asked as she went into their cell. Daryl dropped the dirty clothes and cloth diaper in the corner and put the other things to the side for her to put away later.

"He want me to hold him?" Daryl asked.

Carol smiled at him.

"He always wants you to hold him," Carol said. Daryl sat down on the bed and Carol joined him, tucking his son into the crook of his arm.

Cayden stared at him, his bottom lip quivering a little before it gave way to a yawn that made Daryl yawn in response…Carol mirrored the act not long after and Daryl chuckled. Of the three of them, Cayden was certainly the one getting the most rest.

"I don't want'cha ta let them women bother ya no more," Daryl said, still chewing on the matter. "Ya a good Ma an' Cayden knows it. Everybody else knows it…don't matter what they say."

Carol frowned at him and he hoped she wasn't about to cry. She shook her head.

"I'm not," she said. She shook her head again.

"Fuck ya talkin' 'bout?" Daryl asked. "Hell yeah ya are."

Daryl shifted his son around who was making puckering faces at him, careful to slide his hand right so he wouldn't risk his head falling off or whatever tragedy would surely ensue if he didn't support it just right.

"Cayden says ya the best damn Ma he ever had," Daryl said.

Carol frowned at him and Daryl held back his desire to point out that she and Cayden had the same facial expression when they frowned at someone. She insisted that his son looked just like him, and though he thought he could see some of himself in the boy, mostly he saw her in son's face.

Daryl leaned his head in her direction and when she didn't lean to kiss him, he brought his lips to her and kissed her, just catching the corner of her frown. He didn't want her to start crying because if she started crying then Cayden would cry. Cayden had a strict policy that Carol didn't cry alone in his presence and Daryl thought the kid could smell her tears or something.

"I'm not…Sophia…" Carol started.

"Shush," Daryl said. "'Chonne lost her girls…ya think she was a bad Ma?"

"That was different," Carol said softly. "She couldn't get to them in time…"

"An' ya couldn't get ta Sophia neither," Daryl responded. "Can't change that, but we ain't lettin' nothin' happen here an' that don't make ya a bad Ma. Look at his face," Daryl said. "That look like the face of a kid that ain't got a good Ma?"

Cayden's face was furrowed at the moment, and Daryl wondered how smart the little thing was and if he could tell what they were talking about or if it was something more to do with mirroring the faces they were making.

"Look at him," Daryl said. "He's upset ya talkin' junk 'bout yaself an' I agree with him."

Carol smiled a little then.

"He doesn't like our tones," she said. She sniffed and Daryl realized she'd been considering crying, but she was getting it under control now.

"See there," Daryl said. "Ya knowed what it was that was buggin' him. Pretty damn good ta me."

Daryl scanned back in his memory for all the things he wasn't supposed to say to her because apparently his vocabulary, at times, lacked something to be desired. He knew she was tired, though, and that she was overly emotional about things, and he thought that if he might get her to sleep a little, which she hadn't done much of the night before, she would wake up and feel better about the whole damn thing…and he could pay a visit to the mouthy women in the prison and let them know that he didn't appreciate them running their mouths and causing trouble where there wasn't any sense in having it.

Carol nodded at him a little.

"Reckon ya could see if he needs toppin' off?" Daryl asked. "Then ya could take a lil' nap an' I can stay up with him a while."

Carol nodded again, yawning, and Daryl caught the yawn from her. She reached up and pushed at her breasts, something she did often.

"What the hell ya doin' that for?" Daryl asked. "I been meanin' ta ask ya."

Carol smiled softly.

"Trying to see if I've made any milk since the last time your son drained me," Carol said. She nodded and pursed her lips slightly. "I have."

Carol reached and took Daryl's free hand. For a moment she held it between hers and then she kissed his fingers. He pulled it loose enough to brush his fingertips against her face for a minute and then she moved it to her breasts.

"Gentle…they're tender," she said. "Feel one…and then after I feed him, feel it again. They feel different when there's milk in them and when there isn't."

Daryl smirked at her, feeling her breast and she cocked an eyebrow at him. He knew they were off limits to him for a little while, but that didn't mean he couldn't enjoy what he got.

Finally he passed her the baby once she'd taken off her shirt, shivering a little at the initial change in temperature. It wasn't hard to convince Cayden he might want to consider a snack, even though he hadn't asked for it yet, and Daryl watched as Carol brushed her fingers gently against the boy's face as he ate, his eyes rolling back in his head a little from time to time.

"Shit must be pretty damn good," Daryl said, snickering. "'Bout knocks him out."

"It's warm," Carol said. "And it gets his tummy full."

Daryl smiled a little. Her voice changed when she talked about Cayden, whether or not she realized it. He nodded a little to himself. She'd sleep…hopefully better than she had been sleeping…and she'd be much better.

When she was done feeding Cayden and had burped the baby, she spent a moment coddling him and kissing him. He was awake again and he was making sounds at her, though Daryl wasn't sure that Cayden actually realized he was the one making the sounds since he looked a little surprised each time that they happened.

"Lemme see him," Daryl said, reaching his arms out to her. She kissed the baby again, visibly sniffing his head, and passed him to Daryl. Daryl reached his free arm and cupped her breast. She shot him a look and he raised his eyebrows. "Just testin' ta see what they feel like now that'cha fed him!" He said.

Carol's expression softened.

"And? What do they feel like?" She asked.

Daryl smirked.

"Feel pretty damn good…that's all the hell I know," Daryl said.

Carol playfully smacked him and he moved his hand, catching her behind the head, his fingers tangling in her short curls, and he pulled her to him. This time she kissed him back, her tongue tangling with his, and he held it for as long as she would let him, nipping at her bottom lip when she finally pulled away.

"Get some sleep," he said. "Ya need it. Tomorrow ya gon' feel better."

Carol nodded and Daryl maneuvered himself on the bed so that he could sit on his side with his back against the wall. He watched her as she put her shirt back on and took off her pants. With the heater running in the cell, as it was now, there was really very little need for clothes, especially with the blankets around.

Carol sighed as she settled down in the bed and Daryl raked his fingers through her soft hair.

"Love ya, woman," he said.

Carol reached out and patted him on the leg. Then she kissed her fingertips and touched them to his hand, stilling it for just a second in his raking.

"I love you too," Carol said. "Let me know when Cayden needs me."

Daryl chuckled.

"Hell, I ain't gon' have ta let'cha know…he'll take care a' that shit," Daryl said. "Just get some sleep…he's good for now."

Carol sighed and settled down and Daryl continued to run his fingers through her hair until she had very obviously left him and Cayden both far behind. He only hoped that wherever the hell she'd gone was a nice place for now.

"Just you an' me lil' man," Daryl said with a sigh. He ducked his head enough to kiss Cayden on the head and then sat back against the wall, watching Cayden watch him and run through the catalogue of faces that he had until he was ready to drift off to sleep as well and join his mother.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Another little chapter for you.**

**I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think! **

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"We go north, to the mountains," Alice said.

"I agree," Ned offered.

Daryl glanced around the table. Everyone who had wanted to join in the conversation was welcome. They were discussing, purely hypothetically, what they might need to do to prepare for when they moved on…and exactly where and what they might be moving on to.

Only a sampling of their group had chosen to come and throw in their two cents though, since they did this regularly and hadn't cemented a single thing yet.

"If we go north, we'll freeze to death," Glenn said. "Look at us here…we're bundled up as it is and this is Georgia."

"The mountains give us better cover," Alice argued. "Walkers are clumsy as fuck…we can use that to our advantage if we place ourselves right."

Daryl had to admit that he was inclined to agree with the brunette. They'd discussed a few different possibilities, but hers sounded, when she spelled the whole thing out, like it made a lot more sense and would provide a lot more "normal" lifestyle than many of the others.

"We don't have to aim for Colorado," Ned offered, leaning back in his chair. "Plenty a' mountains not too far off from here. Offer good cover and milder climate."

They'd thrown a multitude of ideas since Rick had first presented to the group the necessity, more or less, that they move on. For numerous reasons they'd decided the prison wasn't the place they were going to stay, and if they were going to build a home somewhere, it might be nice to be able to actually build something like their own Woodbury…something that was their own community.

Michonne had offered that they should move east. They should head for the coast and then, with any luck, find boats and sail for an island somewhere. The idea had been shot down quickly, though, when they'd begun to toss out reasons why this might not be a good idea. They didn't know what the islands looked like…didn't know if they were still there…and they weren't going to be regular pirates going in search of islands they might not even find.

On top of that, once they got to this island they were cut off from Walkers, but they were cut off from everything else too. None of them knew how to grow food on an island, and being self-sufficient was going to become a very real necessity, especially as time wore on. There was also the risk of hurricanes and the fact that they could lose their boats somehow and find themselves very truly trapped somewhere.

They'd also discovered that a few people, Michonne included, had a fear of water when it was presented to them that it was very real that the ocean could swallow them up and they could drown. A creek or a lake was one thing, but the angry ocean brought out the fear in people quickly.

Glenn had suggested moving west. Like some kind of modern day cowboy or something. He hadn't had any particular reason for wanting to move in that direction, other than perhaps finding a milder climate than the one they even enjoyed here…at least in the winter.

That idea had been shot down when everyone came to realize how harsh the warm weather might be, exchanging one set of dangers, perhaps, for another one entirely. There was also the point that Hershel brought up about not being familiar with the farming possibilities and also knowing that water was…at least from what they'd always heard…in greater shortage out there. So they weren't moving west.

Rick had offered the possibility of a somewhat nomadic life. Travel from place to place, much like they'd always done. Set up temporary stops here and there, live while they could, and then take up again in search of a new place.

That idea had been somewhat discredited when they all realized that they wanted a stable place. Somewhere to call home, once and for all. It might not be ideal, but no one really warmed to the idea of constantly worrying, as they were now, about where to go next…what might happen next.

If they were going to do this, and they were really going to give it a go at having a real life, they needed some kind of stability. They needed a place to settle. They could build homes for themselves, build a life for themselves. They could grow food and raise livestock. They could be self-sufficient. Nothing like that would ever happen if they moved constantly, as each place gave way to the next. They didn't want to be nomads. Whatever they were looking for, whatever they hoped to find, they needed it to be something long term.

The ideas that they'd heard before had offered, in some cases, geographical reasonings that sounded good to help keep them safer from Walkers. In others they'd offered things to make their climate more agreeable to living and to producing crops.

This was the first idea that seemed to have the best of it all. The mountains and a little rougher terrain would probably offer better protection from Walkers, which they could reinforce with their own plans to build protective walls somewhat like those of Woodbury or even fences like those around the prison. Meanwhile, if the climate wasn't too harsh they could survive it without having to move with the seasons and staying close enough to where they were, they could figure out what to grow there during the growing seasons so that they could produce their own food.

"I gotta say," Daryl offered. "Sounds ta me like we gotta fuckin' winner."

Rick moaned a little in contemplation. He sighed after a second, resting his elbows on the table in front of him.

"It might not be ideal," he said, "but it does sound like the best we're going to get."

"So what?" Glenn asked. "We go to the mountains? And then what?"

"That part's always been up in the air," Hershel said with a yawn. "We find a place to settle. Somewhere we can farm. Start rebuilding our lives."

"Look for animals," Ned said. "We can take what we got here with us, but we can pick some up on the way too if'n they good for the catching."

"We build houses…or we find them," Rick offered. "We have to see what's there…what the place has got to offer. We'll need somewhere close to water, but we won't know what we're dealing with until we get there."

"But how do we know where there is?" Glenn asked.

Alice sighed audibly.

"How the fuck did we know where here was?" She asked. "I guess we'll know when we get there. We head that way and we keep our eyes peeled for a nice place…we can't exactly pull up Google and check the area ahead of time."

Daryl nodded. He was getting tired and though they'd made more progress this evening after dinner than they had any other night, he was looking forward to ending the conversation soon so he could get back to his cell and back to Carol and Cayden. They were supposed to be leaving the baby with Alice after this, or with Michonne, for a little bit, and they were going to take a shower together. Even though Daryl knew that nothing was going to happen in the shower, he had to admit that he was pretty damn excited about that shit.

"Got a point," he offered, sliding his chair away from the table with a sigh. "We can't know all the damn answers 'fore we even seen what we workin' with. I say we head for the mountains, but we ain't gotta agree on that shit tonight. Got a good damn while 'fore we movin' out anyway."

Daryl got to his feet to signal to everyone that whether or not they continued the discussion, he was checking out for the evening. It appeared, though, that he wasn't the only one with the thought because as soon as he hit his feet, Hershel, Ned, and Alice all hit theirs.

"Looks like a good time to call it a night," Hershel offered.

Daryl wondered if the old man had been biding his time until someone else offered to leave the table. Ned grunted something in response to Hershel and mumbled something about the cold and old bones. Both men left the room immediately, presumably to go to bed, but Daryl knew they had a tendency to stay up in one cell or the other and play cards and grumble back and forth to one another long after they'd called it an evening.

"I've got baby Bean duty," Alice offered to the table.

Daryl nodded at her and bid his goodnight to everyone that was left. He left the room with Alice on his heels almost and she followed him directly to his cell where Carol was lying in the bed, her head propped on her hand, with the baby feeding.

Carol glanced in the direction of Daryl and Alice as both of them came into the cell, Alice inches behind Daryl. She made no move to cover herself and smiled at both of them.

"Shower time?" She asked.

"Mel turned the heaters on in there a while ago," Alice offered. "Should be pretty warm. I know she was going to try it out…and I think Tyreese and Michonne went in there."

"Michonne did," Carol said. "She came through here on her way back to her cell to see Cayden."

Carol rubbed the baby's face. Daryl could hear his grunts. He almost sounded like a piglet sometimes as he rooted around, pushing his fists against Carol's breasts.

"I'm just topping him off," Carol said. "I don't want you to get stuck with Cayden on the warpath."

Alice laughed and moved around Daryl to lean against the stone wall of the cell.

"I think we'd survive if I did," Alice offered. "It's good to top him off, though. He might be a little more pleasant for Mel and me while you're off getting rid of that stench that's been following your ass around."

Carol scoffed.

"I don't smell," she said.

Alice chuckled.

"Maybe it was Daryl's nasty ass, then," Alice offered.

Daryl flipped her off and she chuckled at him. He honestly wouldn't doubt that they did smell. The problem around there was that, especially with the cold, everyone was less inclined to bathing than they had been and they'd more or less grown accustomed to their own stench and the stench of others. If they smelled, no one really noticed it because they all smelled.

Walkers didn't help make the area smell fresh either, though, so it wasn't like there was any sharp contrast for you anywhere you went.

Carol pulled herself away from their son and Cayden smacked at her a few times, threatening to fuss. She put her shirt back on, ignoring the slight whine that her son was working up to.

"He don't like that one bit," Daryl offered.

"Mmm," Alice hummed. "Can't blame him, can you? No one likes when someone takes their boobies away before they're done with them."

Daryl chuckled and Carol echoed it a little, scooping the baby up and nuzzling him. Daryl watched him from across the cell. He'd close his little eyes tight when she nuzzled her face against his and they'd pop right back open a second later, his tongue dancing around the entire time.

"I don't think he's too hungry anymore," Carol said. "And I think I'm running pretty close to empty."

Alice grunted something and stood up from the wall, stepping forward with her arms outstretched to take the baby.

"You've got to eat more and you've got to eat better," Alice said. "A couple of us could do without a little here and a little there…you can't because you're making milk for him and he needs the top quality shit…none of this skim milk stuff."

Alice glanced in Daryl's direction and he nodded at her, nipping at the skin on his thumb. He already tried to pick through the food when no one was looking and sneak Carol the best that he could get out of the selection, but now he figured they'd have to be verbal about it. He did as much as anyone, if not more, to bring the food they needed and had into the prison, and he wasn't going to have Carol or Cayden starving to death and right now they were tightly linked together.

"I suppose we could look for more formula," Carol said, standing up, her face worried. "If you think he's not getting enough."

Alice frowned.

"I think he's getting plenty right now, you just don't need to skimp on your meals or his. I don't think there's any reason to worry," she said, nuzzling the baby that was making noises at her. "It's better to have him on breast milk, even if he's eating more often, than to have him on possibly expired formula any day."

"We gon' up her intake," Daryl said definitively. "Ya can be sure a' that."

Carol looked at him, frowning, and he wanted to tell her to wipe that worry out of her mind. Cayden was fine and Daryl thought he was a pretty healthy baby…at least he looked healthy. They just had to make sure everything kept going like it was and there was nothing to worry about.

"Come on, woman," Daryl said. "Let's go get us a shower while Cayden ain't figured out we leavin' him with Alice. Don't want him ta start cryin'."

"Why would he start crying?" Carol asked.

The baby liked Alice and was typically quite good for her as long as he wasn't hungry, but Daryl couldn't resist giving her hard time.

"Hell, I'd cry if ya left me with her…an' he's got good damn sense already," Daryl said, glancing in Alice's direction.

"Shut the fuck up and go wash your nasty ass!" Alice responded. "Cayden and I are just fine together and Aunt Mel is waiting in our cell for us."

"I'll come and get him when we're done," Carol offered.

"I'll hear you," Alice offered. "I'll bring him down. Take your time and don't forget to turn the heater off when you're done. We don't want to burn this place down."

Alice slipped past them and Daryl watched Carol watch her go before he pushed at her shoulder.

"Let's go an' get clean," he urged so that she would get the stuff together and they could have a few minutes of alone time…something they hadn't really had in the days since their son had come to join them.

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Daryl had not expected their shower time to go like it had. In the days since Cayden had been born, he'd seen his wife in various staged of undress, but he hadn't, admittedly, seen her naked and not in the light that the few working electric lights in the shower room offered when the generators were running to heat the space.

Carol had realized this immediately and she'd almost forced him into the changing area while she undressed and now she had her back to him in the shower, almost cowering from him.

"I seen ya naked before, ya know?" Daryl offered, reaching over her to funnel more of the water in his direction so he could rinse off the lather that he'd worked over his body.

"Not like this," Carol offered, not looking at him.

Daryl sighed.

"Ya my wife…an ya beautiful…an' if ya bothered ta turn the fuck around here ya'd realize that just bein' this damn close ta ya when ya ain't got no clothes on has given me quite the fuckin' problem that we ain't gon' be able ta do a damn thing about," Daryl said. "An' that's without'cha even lettin' me see ya good."

Carol shook her head and Daryl considered banging his on the shower wall.

"I'm not beautiful…and I don't know if my body is ever even going back to what it was before…and that certainly wasn't perfect," Carol said, hugging herself.

"Ya got soap on ya back," Daryl said. "Gotta rinse that shit off."

"You're not being serious," Carol said.

Daryl chuckled.

"No…you the one ain't bein' serious," Daryl argued. "Damn it! I love ya an' I was kinda hopin' that when Alice says ya can do shit we might go back ta practicin' how we got Cayden in the first damn place. Ain't gon' be one damn bit a' fun if ya ain't never gonna let me look at'cha."

"I feel like a balloon that's been popped," Carol argued.

Daryl growled.

"That's it," he said. "Turn ya fuckin' ass around here or I'ma turn ya around. Shit's ridiculous. I been lookin' forward ta just gettin' ta see ya ass all damn day an' now ya won't turn 'round here!"

Carol sighed deeply, but she turned around, her eyes squeezed shut and a deep frown on her face. Daryl looked at her, first holding back a laugh at the face she was making…it was as though she expected something terrible or she was preparing herself for a blow…one that he never intended on delivering.

She didn't look like she had before she got pregnant. And she didn't look like she had while she was pregnant. Still, she looked like herself. She looked like his wife…his Carol…and he loved her for it.

Daryl figured the only response he could make was to tip her face toward him and kiss her, with her eyes all squeezed shut at him. She responded to the kiss and he wrapped his arms around her, bringing her against him and not even feeling embarrassed that he was as hard as a teenager.

Carol rubbed her face on his chest.

"I'm sorry," she said.

Daryl chuckled and rubbed her back.

"Ya sorry 'cause ya the prettiest damn thing I ever saw?" Daryl asked. "Or ya sorry 'cause ya can't do nothin' 'bout it just yet?"

"You don't have to say that, Daryl," Carol said. "I'm not blind."

Daryl chuckled again.

"An' neither am I!" He protested.

"I know that other women…" she started.

Daryl growled and pushed her away from him a little bit, gritting his teeth against the ever gnawing insecurity that plagued her no matter what he or anyone else did to push it away.

"Other women ain't my wife," Daryl said. "An' other women ain't the damn mother of my kid. Fuck, Carol…ain't no other damn woman, or women for that fuckin' matter, for me. We been through this fuckin' shit. I ain't no damn treasure, ya know."

"To me…" Carol started. Daryl cut her off by dipping his head and pressing his lips hard against hers. He broke away after a second to see if she'd try to resume speaking, but she stopped.

"Ya like me," Daryl said. "An' I sure as shit like you…so I reckon that's all the hell that matters, ain't it?"

Carol looked at him a little unsurely, but she smiled softly.

"I guess so," she said, her voice almost a whisper.

"Good," Daryl said. "Now I don't want'cha hidin' from me no more…even if ya do this shit ta me, I wanta see ya." He gestured toward his erection.

Carol smiled at him then, wrapping her hand around him and kissing his chest.

"I might not be able to make love to you, Daryl," Carol said, "but I can take care of that for you…"

Daryl growled and closed his eyes, feeling her stroke him. He bucked into her hand, enjoying, as he always did, the feeling of her soft hands on him. He didn't know if other women were any damn good at this shit, and he didn't really care to ever find out. He had all the hell he needed right here.

When Daryl came and Carol had rinsed herself again, she wrapped her arms around him and kissed his chest. He pushed her away a bit, bringing his lips to hers and thanking her…a thank you which she quickly dismissed.

They stood a moment under the spray, but Daryl noticed she was frowning again.

"What's wrong now?" He asked, almost laughing at the near constant rollercoaster he seemed to be stuck on.

"I miss Cayden…" Carol said. "Are we almost done?"

Daryl chuckled.

"He's right in the other part a' the prison. Ya ain't likin' bein' alone with me?" Daryl said.

Carol shook her head.

"It isn't that," she said. "I was just thinking we could go back to our cell…we could be alone there…"

Carol's voice broke off for a minute.

"We could be alone there with Cayden…" she finished.

Daryl chuckled and hugged her to him once more, kissing her quickly and softly before he reached to turn off the water.

"Let's get dried off," he said. "Then we'll go have some damn alone time."

Carol smiled at him.

"I love you," she said, smiling up at him.

Daryl grinned back, loving the way she looked when she smiled at him like that.

"Damn it! I love ya too! Get'cha clothes on!" He commanded.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Thank you to all of you who are reading. I appreciate your support and your reviews and comments mean a lot to me! Thanks so much! **

**Here's a little something else for you as we move along in the story. If you know anything about me and about my writing style, you know we have a ways to go! **

**I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think! **

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Daryl walked down the fence line, watching as Alice and Melodye moved along almost like they were playing leapfrog and stabbing Walkers through the fence, first one and then the other. There weren't too many Walkers to be cleared at the time, the cold weather having significantly decreased their numbers.

To be honest, if Cayden wasn't so small and Daryl wasn't concerned about that and open exposure to the elements while on the road, he would suggest that they move on with the colder weather simply to cut down on the threats from Walkers. It could also theoretically cut down on threats from possible other groups if they existed since people weren't likely to move around as much during the winter.

He thought, though, that Cayden would be too small at the moment for them to move on. The tiny baby wouldn't have any defense against the cold and going north would mean more cold. Daryl also knew that Carol needed, at least theoretically, to recover some from having Cayden, though he wasn't sure how she was ever going to do that when he had a hard time getting her to ever even sleep.

Daryl ran into Rick who was coming out of the makeshift barn that they'd constructed in the lower corner of the prison yard for the two mules that Ned's group had brought to the prison.

"How's it goin' in there?" Daryl asked.

Rick nodded, tossing one of the feed buckets to the side.

"Nothing's freezing to death yet," Rick said with a chuckle. "I suppose that's about as good as we can ask for these days."

Daryl grunted a response and peeked down inside the bulky winter coat that he was wearing. When he looked up, Rick was looking at him quizzically.

Daryl snickered.

"Got Cayden in there," he said. He unzipped the jacket enough that Rick could barely see the sleeping bundle that Carol and Michonne had tied to him with torn sheets so that he could carry the baby around inside the coat and still have use of his arms. "Carol's doin' laundry an' she figured he might wanta hang out with me. I keep checkin' ta make sure he can breathe in there."

Rick chuckled in response and shook his head slightly. He reached his hand toward the neck of Daryl's jacket and ran his fingers against the cloth of the sheets.

"Sheets?" He asked.

Daryl snickered and nodded.

"He's all strung up ta me," Daryl said. "Couldn't drop him if I wanted to…they gon' have ta get him out if I wanta be free from him later."

Rick laughed.

"We've come a long way since the kangaroo carriers Lori and I had when Carl was a baby," Rick said.

Daryl nodded. He knew that Judith was inside. Her best friends in the world were the two old men, Hershel and Ned, both of which were more than happy to be babysitters when it was required of them. Daryl knew they'd keep Cayden too, but he'd rather the boy be with him or Carol whenever possible. It wasn't that he didn't trust the others exactly, but it was different keeping your own kid safe and keeping an eye on someone else's kid.

Daryl glanced back to where Alice and Melodye were obviously taking a break.

"Walkers is pretty much gone right now," Daryl said, thinking about the thought that had crossed his mind earlier. Rick followed his line of sight.

"You're right. Cold freezes them out or something," Rick said. "Not too much trouble."

Daryl nodded.

"Too bad we can't figure out a safe way ta move out when it's cold like this…" he said.

"What do you mean?" Rick asked. He started toward the prison then and Daryl followed after him.

"Hell," Daryl said. "Ain't hardly no Walkers roamin' 'round," Daryl said. "If they's people out there most of 'em ain't gon' be stirred up too much with the cold. If we could figure out how the hell ta keep from freezin' ta death…be the best time ta move…fewer threats."

Rick stopped walking and turned to face Daryl, something on his face. Realization perhaps, but Daryl wasn't sure.

Rick wiped his face with his hand.

"Mother Nature would be our only real threat…" Rick said, almost like he was talking to himself more than to Daryl.

Daryl nodded.

"Travel in the vehicles...insulate the animal carriers…start sending Alice out to bring back as much fuel as she can in a truck maybe…we could have the place packed and ready to mobilize in two weeks time," Rick said.

Daryl stopped. He realized that what for him had simply been a case of musing had, for Rick, now become a possible plan. Daryl chuckled a little, though it was more of the uneasy chuckle that appeared when you were uncomfortable and not exactly sure what other reaction you should have in a given situation.

"I weren't really serious," Daryl said. "Rick…we'd freeze ta fuckin' death if we went on the road right now. No damn heat nowhere…ain't safe ta build fires too often. Hell we'd freeze out or starve out 'fore we even got outta Georgia."

Rick shook his head.

"Make runs for clothes…layers," Rick said. "Everyone layers up and we won't freeze to death. Even if we travel slow so no one gets left behind, stop for meals…we could make it to the North Carolina or Tennessee mountains and settle in before two months have passed. We'd be there in time to get ready for planting."

Daryl swallowed and glanced back in his coat where the baby was still sleeping, all tied up against his body.

"Rick…if somethin' happens an' we was to get trapped…stranded? We'd hit snow and ice…maybe can't get up in the mountains as quick an' easy as we could when the government was keepin' access roads open. We don't know what we'd be goin' into," Daryl said.

Rick shook his head.

"No, we don't. But if we move out when the Walkers are half frozen we've got less of a chance of a herd coming down on us. We've got less of a chance of being hit by a roaming group. People made it without all the comforts we've gotten used to even now. We'd be on a more level playing field if we moved on and did it soon," Rick said. "We know we've got to move anyway, sooner or later. It's better to move when our odds are higher."

Daryl's chest felt like it was closing up. Their odds were probably higher and Daryl knew that. In a lot of ways they had a better chance if they did this…if they mobilized and headed out. If they got somewhere and found this place they were looking for, then they'd have a chance of establishing a place to live…start growing food. They could actually start building their lives instead of waiting around here coming up with ways to kill time until they eventually had to move on.

Daryl knew that it was probably much more sensible to go on now. Start rallying everyone and really put the plans they spent day after day making into action. If he'd been the man he was even a year ago he probably wouldn't have even hesitated a moment and before night fell they'd have a plan of what the hell they all needed to do to hit the road the earliest they possibly could.

But that was the man that didn't have Cayden nestled against his body and a wife to answer to who may or may not be ready for wintering on the road.

"I don't think it's a decision we make on our own," Daryl said, not wanting to admit that his thoughts weren't on the good of the group at the moment, they were on the good of his tiny, and somewhat insignificant, family.

Rick shook his head and chuckled a little, clapping Daryl on the shoulder.

"No, we won't make it on our own. We'll talk to everyone. It's a good idea, though. We move on as soon as we can and we make it there sooner. We're wasting time here as it is, burning resources on a life we know we're going to leave. Out there we're at least headed toward trying to find something permanent," Rick said.

Daryl nodded slightly, drawing in the deepest breath the cold air would allow him to suck in. Rick turned then and went into the prison and Daryl followed after him, thinking that if this was going to come out, which it most assuredly would, he might do well to talk it over with Carol first. She'd take something like this better coming from him than she would from Rick.

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"Come on in here and I'll get you out," Carol said. Daryl stepped into the cell, already unzipping his jacket. Cayden was awake now and he needed to be changed. He also would want to eat soon and Daryl figured they had just enough time to free him from his contraption and get the little thing changed before he opened up a full command for a meal.

Daryl stood rigidly, waiting while Carol worked to undo the masterful knots that she and Michonne had made in the sheets so that the baby would stay just where they wanted him. Daryl kept his hand under his son so that when he finally did drop free, he wouldn't go any farther than his grasp.

He wasn't sure how to bring up the possible change in plans that Rick would most likely bring up over supper, the time when everyone was most commonly gathered together, and he wasn't sure how Carol was going to react when he did bring them up.

"Was talkin' ta Rick today," Daryl said finally, catching his son as he sagged into his grasp. "Talkin' 'bout how they ain't hardly no Walkers right now."

"It's too cold," Carol said, her voice sounding light. She worked to untangle Daryl so that she could later free Cayden.

Daryl grunted slightly.

"Lotta people…if they even is a lotta people left…wouldn't be out much in this kinda weather," Daryl said. "An' if they was out, wouldn't be focused too much on the kinda crazy shit we seen before."

Carol came around, now untangling Cayden while he rested in Daryl's arms, smacking his lips and looking back and forth between the two of them while he was sandwiched between his parents.

"Mean…doubt the Governor'd be all hell bent on gettin' at us right now if he was around…an' that crazy man…the one that took everyone…" Daryl let his voice break off. The kidnapping of the women of the group and what they'd all gone through in the situation was a touchy subject and one that he tried to avoid speaking about as much as he could.

Carol's face changed a little, but her expression was still pretty light.

"Well," she said, her voice taking on some of the qualities she used when addressing Cayden, "I don't know much about the crazy people of the world…but I guess the cold would deter them."

Carol chuckled a little.

"Although you'd have to be crazy to go out in it more than you have to," she said.

Daryl felt a nervous chuckle rising up in his chest and he let her take the baby from him, moving him to the bed quickly so she could change his diaper with everything she had already piled on the bed.

She was a master at it…so much faster than Daryl. She got the baby in and out of his clothes faster than Daryl did, and she spent so little time fumbling with the pins that terrified him. She didn't seem scared that she would stab Cayden with them, not like Daryl was when he pinned the diapers on him. The baby hardly even realized he was unhappy when she changed him before the torture was over. The entire event much different than the changings where Daryl felt like he was fumbling so much and for so long, and often ended up soaked in piss, to the point that he wanted to cry right along with his son in frustration. No…Carol didn't have half the trouble he had.

Daryl scratched at the back of his neck and watched as Carol scooped Cayden up and went about organizing the various items she'd brought into the cell to change his diaper and possibly his clothes if he'd needed it.

"Thing is…" Daryl started. He sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"What is it?" Carol asked, directing her attention at Daryl.

"Well…we was talkin' 'bout it an' Rick is prob'ly gon' bring it up ta the group that it might be a good idea for us ta move on a lil' earlier than we said originally. Ya know…so we got time ta get settled an' still grow some food an' shit for the group," Daryl said.

Carol smiled at him, but it wasn't a smile she was totally committed to. He could tell she was distracted by their son who was beginning to fidget and root at her with his head. Carol joined Daryl on the bed.

"Well if Rick thinks it's best…and you think it's a good idea," she said. "I don't really see why anyone would be too opposed to moving on a little earlier. I didn't even know we had a time set yet."

Daryl cleared his throat.

"Well, we don't…" he said. "But we was thinkin' that if we got everythin' goin' good we could be ready ta move in a couple weeks…maybe a month."

Carol froze. Daryl knew she'd frozen because she wasn't moving at all. She wasn't looking at him. Her eyes were wide, and now she was staring at the floor, just beyond the edge of the bed.

"A couple of weeks?" She asked, her face drawing up in confusion. Then she looked at him and he thought her eyes looked pained. God he hated that expression.

Daryl nodded.

"If we go soon we ain't gon' have half the chance that Walkers is gonna come after us," he started, laying out the discussion he was sure Rick was going to have with the group later. "We ain't gonna run into the same kinda roamin' groups like we would neither. We'd just have ta focus on movin' an' not so damn much on all the extra things that could happen."

Carol wasn't responding at all. She was staring at him, her eyes almost piercing him, but she wasn't speaking and he wasn't even sure that she was thinking too much at the moment.

"We'll freeze to death out there, Daryl," Carol said finally. "We'll freeze…and starve. Don't you remember what life on the road is like? There are fewer Walkers…yes…outside the prison fences. Out there we don't have those fences."

Daryl nodded a little at her, not wanting her to get too worked up, but glad that she was getting some of it out in the privacy of the cell instead of in front of everyone else.

"It really ain't all that far," Daryl offered. "We can find a safe place ta hole up once we get there. Get started on buildin' where we gonna live. Get ready ta grow shit. It won't take us that long ta get there."

Carol looked at him almost like he was Judas and Daryl felt uncomfortable for the moment.

"It didn't take that long when you stopped at gas stations to fuel your car…rest areas. You could stop at Burger King to eat. What are we going to do? Go back to sleeping in haylofts and eating a bag of three year old beef jerky split among the whole group? It's freezing out there and we're talking about moving into the cold," Carol said, her voice cold.

Cayden started to fuss in her arms and she was making no move to quiet him. Daryl lowered his eyes, shrugging slightly.

"Got a better chance a' gettin' there quicker than we might when it warms," Daryl said. "We gon' bundle up…build fires when we can. Ain't gon' freeze ta death an' I ain't lettin' no one starve. Movin' on now might save us more than waitin' would."

Carol frowned deeply at him. He thought that maybe there were tears in her eyes, but if there were she wasn't letting any of them out at the moment. Cayden's squalls got louder.

Daryl cleared his throat.

"We gon' talk about it with the group," Daryl said. "Ain't nothin' been decided yet. 'S just an idea…somethin' we might be considerin'. Ain't carved in stone."

He suddenly felt like he was trying to talk himself out of a trap that he'd gotten himself into. He wasn't doing a very good job of it either.

"Cayden's fussin'," he offered, wondering if she was too distracted for the moment to realize that soon their son would be bringing people to their cell to see if he was fine.

Carol looked down at the baby for a moment like she hadn't seen him before or like she'd completely forgotten his existence. She wrestled out of her shirt with jerky movements, visibly shivering a little as she worked to position Cayden so that he could latch. Daryl watched her and then saw her wipe at her nose with her arm and sniff a little.

Daryl sat quietly for a minute and so did Carol. He reached out and tipped her face up so that he could see it. If she was crying, she was fighting it. She locked her eyes on his, hers dancing just a bit.

"Are ya mad?" Daryl asked, narrowing his eyebrows.

Carol shook her head and visibly swallowed with some difficulty.

"No," she said softly. "I'm not mad, Daryl. I'm just not ready to lose my baby for the _good of the group_," Carol said, her final words carrying some bite despite their softness.

The thought struck Daryl. Yes, moving on now would be something that would possibly be for the good of the group, but that didn't mean that he wanted to risk losing neither Carol nor Daryl. Truth be told, he'd sacrifice each and every other person around them if that's what it took to keep his family safe. He even hated to think that he'd turned into that person, but that's what he was…he could understand some of the things that Rick had done and some of the things he'd said along the way. As a part of the group you owed allegiance to the group, but the truth of the matter was that your strongest ties were to those that you loved.

"I swear ta ya," Daryl said. "Ain't lettin' nothin' happen ta you an' I ain't lettin' nothin' happen ta Cayden," Daryl said.

Carol blinked and nodded. She pulled her face loose from him and cleared her throat, focusing her attention on Cayden who looked concerned, though Daryl assumed it was more concern over his meal than over the conversation that was taking place.

"You shouldn't make promises that you can't keep," Carol said. "No one can keep a promise like that anymore…they never could."

Daryl felt his heart clench at her words, and at her tone almost as much as the words. He knew she was right. It was a promise that he could make, but not one that he could really keep. He could, though, keep it until his own death…that was really the most he had to offer, and it was one that he intended to keep good as long as he lived.

He decided not to continue the conversation, though, for the moment. Carol wasn't going to pitch a fit, it seemed, and she wasn't going to rail about things. He'd wait and see how things went over when Rick talked to the group and then they'd deal with it all, together, when the time came to do so.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Here you go, another chapter. **

**Thank you so much to those of you who are reading and thank you for your reviews and comments. This chapter is not a Caryl chapter really, but it's a character/plot development chapter. If you're new to my writing, then you'll find out that those just happen from time to time. Though Caryl is the main couple, other couples get showcased from time to time. Also other characters get showcased when they need to be because they're necessary for driving the plot forward. My stories are "relationship stories," but they're not just centered on the romance/relationship, etc. If you already read my stories…then you already know that. **

**I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think! **

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When Rick brought the discussion up to the whole group, there wasn't a united front about any of it. Daryl sat backwards in his chair, next to Carol who stayed quiet for the most part, only shifting her attention from the words being tossed around to focus now and again on Cayden that was sleeping in her arms.

The meeting was a calm one, though, surprisingly enough. Rick presented the fact that they needed to move on and they needed to do it with some haste as more of a matter of fact than a suggestion. Questions were raised about freezing, to which Rick responded that they'd have to layer clothes and search out warmth when and where they thought it was safe. The question was raised about food, and Rick responded that they'd pack up what they had now. They'd take more vehicles if they had to just to carry as much supplies as possible. They'd go prepared, and the sooner they left, the sooner they'd arrive.

And Daryl thought it had been a very long time since the group looked as broken as they did while the halfhearted discussion was taking place. A few people threw out concerns, but they threw them out as though they'd already been defeated, and essentially they had.

Rick was determined to move on. Daryl was torn because on the one hand he felt it was the best thing to do, but on the other he was afraid now that Carol's concerns about moving while Cayden was so small merited some consideration. Tyreese voiced his own concerns about it, but he seemed to be won over more by the fact that travelling now could reduce some risks, even though it could bring on some others.

And many of the others simply remained quiet for the most part, accepting that anything they said might very well be dismissed before they'd even finished speaking their mind.

So when the meeting, if it could really be called such a thing, ended, it ended with the pretty secure feeling that they would begin as soon as possible to prepare for the move and would try to leave in two weeks to a month's time to head north in search of somewhere to settle permanently.

Daryl stayed quiet in his chair as people started to dismiss themselves without much of the normal joviality that followed dinner. He glanced in Carol's direction long enough to see that she was occupied with Melodye who had come to speak with her, presumably about the things that they hadn't discussed in the meeting.

Daryl's attention was caught by Alice who had been quiet during most of the meeting, something not entirely common for her, and who got up from the table with enough force to send the screeching sound of her chair legs on the prison floor echoing through the room.

She stormed past Rick and he reached out to try to catch her hand, but she snatched it away.

"I've got watch," she said sharply.

"You don't have watch tonight…" Rick started.

"I do now. It's good, I got it," Alice responded.

Daryl watched as she stormed out and he figured since Melodye was occupied with talking to his wife about the situation in hushed tones, he might as well go and see what was wrong with Alice.

Daryl got up, nodding slightly at Rick who looked a little concerned about the overall mood of the group, and left the prison quickly, following Alice through the failing light to the tower. She seemed to sense him behind her, though, and she broke into a jog that he didn't mirror, leaving him to arrive a little after her to the sad space.

When Daryl did come into the tower, Alice was pacing the small space. She glanced at him, a look in her eyes that he wasn't comfortable with.

"Ya alright?" Daryl asked, concerned that something might have snapped. Enough people in their group had suffered one tragedy or another that it was more or less common to see everyone have their meltdown moments, and Daryl feared that he might have stumbled into Alice's.

Alice stopped pacing for just a second and then continued pacing.

"Might as well be, right? The only fucking reason that anyone wouldn't want to move on right now is just because we're all terrified of leaving the prison, right?" Alice spit as she paced. "Couldn't possibly be for good fucking sense…because Rick's thought all that shit out…he's got all the damn answers and if you don't want to move, well then you're a fucking idiot."

Daryl leaned against the wall. There was some kind of meltdown taking place and he figured that for all the times Alice had talked him off of ledges and out of the woods while he was navigating his own shit, he might as well let her rail with him as a sounding board now.

"So ya think it's a bad idea?" He asked.

Alice snorted.

"It's a great idea," she said. "It's one of those really fabulous ideas…you know…the kind that politicians and board members make. It's absolutely fucking awesome on paper."

She stopped pacing now and turned to look at him, her hands on her hips.

"Less Walkers…because they're cold, right?" She said. "It makes sense. See…medically…they're not alive. They don't have blood coursing through their veins to keep them going. Well…they have blood, but it's not moving. They're not fucking alive. So since they're not alive, the blood can freeze, you see what I'm saying?"

Daryl nodded slightly. He really didn't see what she was saying, but he felt like that was pretty much irrelevant at the moment. She'd either get him to where he needed to be so that he could understand her, or she was just getting something off her chest in which case one of the frozen Walkers would have been an acceptable audience.

"And the blood," Alice continued, barely noticing that Daryl was pretty lost. "The blood…if it can't freeze, then it fucking gets thick…almost frozen like a fucking slushy and it isn't as malleable as it was before…it's not in a full liquid state. And it slows them down because they can't fucking move."

Alice started pacing again and Daryl wondered if he should maybe go for help…maybe see if Mel could handle this one, but he didn't move because he didn't entirely trust Alice at the moment. She was doing something in her head, going through something, but he didn't have a single clue what it was and people could be unpredictable. So he stayed leaned against the wall, hoping the storm would pass.

"You know…people freeze to death too. People die from the elements. Everyone will bundle up too, that'll work great. Everyone's metabolism is different, though…everyone is different. And so much affects that. Genetics…you know that before all this shit happened I fought…I literally fought…with my weight all the damn time. My metabolism was a real fucker. I could eat a pretzel and be burning those calories off for fucking months it seemed like. I tried all the crackpot diets trying to keep those extra pounds at bay…even shit that wasn't healthy at all…but I tried it," Alice said.

She chuckled again, still pacing with ferocity.

"I've lost a lot of weight, though…you know? Since it all happened. Got my girlish figure here. Best fucking diet in the world is just not having enough to eat. You can't cheat on that diet. And Mel? She always had this," Alice held her hands up, stopping pacing a moment as though she were choking someone that wasn't even there. "This…this metabolism that never stopped. She could eat anything and never gain an ounce. She burned like a zillion calories an hour…and never had to do a thing. That's why the hell she looks like the poster child for anorexia now."

Daryl nodded slightly when he saw Alice glance in his direction.

"And Carol…do you think she's supposed to be losing weight as fast as she is?" Alice asked.

Daryl shrugged. Alice continued to look at him and he felt like he was supposed to answer, but he was afraid that he was going to choose the wrong answer at this moment.

"She had the baby…" he offered.

Alice chuckled and ran her hand through her hair, scratching at it a second. Daryl was pretty sure he'd chosen the wrong answer.

"She had a fucking baby! You're right! She's supposed to lose that pregnancy weight…and if our diets weren't made of mostly water, then she'd be the fucking envy of Hollywood. But that's not how it works…see…mothers are the most self-sacrificing people on the planet. They're wired that way. They're literally fucking wired to die for the children. Her body when she was pregnant would suck every single thing away from her it could if that baby needed it. Now it'll do the same damn thing to make as much milk as it possibly can. All in the name of keeping the kid alive as long as possible and to hell with the mother. If the kid lives, the species survives. Simple science. And the samurai?"

Alice shook her head. She stopped talking and squeezed her eyes closed.

"What's wrong with Michonne?" Daryl asked.

Alice shook her head again.

"What?" She asked. "Nothing…nothing's wrong."

She looked a little calmer now, and a little less like she might pull her knife out of her holster and lock up with Daryl in some kind of fight to the death over something he couldn't even hear or see or do anything about.

"So ya think it's a bad idea?" Daryl asked.

Alice chuckled.

"I don't even want to say out loud what I think right now," Alice said, her tone of voice changing. Daryl wasn't sure, but he thought that there might be the sound there of her voice cracking and he hoped that he wasn't going to see her have some kind of tearful breakdown because he knew he sure as shit wasn't going to be able to handle that.

Daryl frowned at her.

"Ya don't think everyone's gonna make it?" He asked. He could already read her expression well enough to see what she was thinking, but he wanted her to say it. Maybe she needed to get it out, maybe he needed to hear it, or maybe it just needed to be said.

Alice shrugged and then shook her head.

"Call it a bad gut feeling," Alice said. She shook her head adamantly at him. "I can't say that I know this…because I don't…I just feel like it might not go as well as Rick thinks it will. It might not turn out as good in reality as it does on paper…few things ever fucking happen the way they're supposed to."

Daryl chewed at his lip.

"What'cha thinks gonna happen?" He asked.

Alice shook her head.

"Honestly?" She asked. Her voice soft and quiet now like it very seldom ever got. "You don't want to know…no one wants to know. It's just my imagination being a little bitch."

"We'll keep Cayden bundled up," Daryl offered. "We'll keep him warm."

Daryl knew that Alice had a very soft spot for the baby and though he wasn't always entirely sure why, he suspected that it might have something to do with her history with Carol. She'd been one of the first people to know that Carol was alive, and it had been when the Governor had taken her. Alice had, for whatever reason, wanted desperately to keep Carol alive even though she didn't know her, and from there her concern had switched to wanting to keep the baby alive.

Daryl was never quite sure in the beginning if it was any real affection for Carol or if it was something relating more to the way that Alice worked…maybe it was something where she needed a reason to keep going…something to keep working at. Her success, her reason for living, was tied up in what she could do for others.

Later it had been clear that she'd developed a genuine affection for Carol and for the baby as well, but Daryl wasn't sure what had caused it so much in the beginning and he'd never asked.

In fact, watching her go crazy at the moment, he realized he'd never really asked her much of anything about her life or herself. He didn't know very much at all about her…only what she offered.

Alice stared at him.

"If we do this," she said, "if we move on, we'll put him skin on skin with Carol. Tie him to her…inside her clothes. That's how we keep him warm."

Daryl nodded. He didn't care what plan she devised or what she thought was best. He wasn't going to argue with her about things that she could probably figure out much better than he could.

Alice walked over to the wall of the guard tower and leaned against it for a second before sliding down it, sinking to sit on the floor, her knees drawn up in front of her. She put her arms crossed on her knees.

"If I'm going to be honest?" She said. "Carol's not letting that baby go without a fight…and it's going to be hard to get him there if everything doesn't go just fucking perfect. Hershel? The cold is going to set into that leg. The pain could be crippling…Ned's not in the best health…that's what? Strike four? Milagros has some health issues…she'd be hard pressed to make the trip if it's anything like what we've seen in the past…if we run into even half the issues that Mel and I even ran into since Atlanta. Strike five."

Alice ran her hand through her hair again and dropped her head back against the wall, not looking at Daryl. He could tell now from her voice that she was indeed crying. It wasn't the desperate sobbing type of cries that he'd heard in various situations, but it was a quiet tearfulness.

Alice swallowed audibly, the tears making it a little more difficult. Daryl shifted his weight, uncomfortable with the situation, but knowing he shouldn't leave now.

"Mel…" Alice shook her head. "I don't even know how we made it this far, you know? I don't even know how we're both still alive…and I try not to question it. I try not to remind God that he forgot about us…that he forgot that we probably weren't supposed to live this long because I don't want him to remember us…I don't know if he'll forget us again if things get bad…"

Alice's voice broke off for a moment and Daryl watched her lean forward and wipe her nose on the knee of her pants. She left her face resting there for a minute, looking out at the yard.

"Strike six and seven…" she said.

"Fuck is wrong with you?" Daryl asked finally. "No…get'cha fuckin' ass up from there."

Daryl walked over and grabbed Alice under the arm, pulling her to her feet. She stood there, her face a few inches from him, tears visibly in her eyes, and stared at him. He wanted her to get pissed off at him. He wanted her to yell at him…scream at him…threaten to fight him. He wanted her to do whatever the hell it took for her to come back from whatever the hell it was that she was sinking into at the moment.

Daryl pushed her back against the wall.

"I'd hate ta have ta fuckin' slap your ass for bein' a fuckin' pussy right now," he threatened, "but if that's what the hell I gotta do then that's what the hell I'ma do."

He knew he really had no intention of hitting the woman, but he thought that maybe the threat would spark something in her and make her want to defend herself, or be the first on the attack. She glared at him, but didn't do anything. Still, the glare was better than the pitiful damn look she'd been wearing moments before on the floor.

"Don't'cha fuckin' write my wife off an' don't'cha fuckin' write my kid off…or fuckin' Mel. Don't write any damn body off," Daryl said. He could feel an anger and frustration in himself at the moment, one that he knew didn't have a thing to do with the woman in front of him. She'd stirred it up in her own way, but the feelings were already there. "Ya gotta keep ya fuckin' ass together 'cause I don't understand it not one damn bit but Carol looks up ta ya ass…hell…even fuckin' Michonne gives a damn what'cha gotta say, so ya ain't gonna fuckin' pussy out on 'em. We gon' leave this fuckin' prison 'cause they ain't nothin' here for us no damn more an' we all goin'…every last fuckin' one a' us…we all goin' ta find some fuckin' place ta live an' we gon' settle the fuck down an' that's all there is to it. We do what we gotta fuckin' do an' that's it."

Alice didn't push back against him to move and she didn't say anything for the moment. She stood there, swallowed with some struggle, and stared at him, her face close enough to his now that if he'd ever had any inclination to do so, he could have kissed her by merely shifting forward an inch or so.

"I'm not made like you are," Alice said softly.

Daryl grunted a little and backed up enough to give the woman the ability to breath without them simply swapping each other's breath.

"We ain't that damn different, I reckon," Daryl said finally. "I wanta keep my fuckin' family alive an' together an' I reckon that's what the hell you want too. Ya told me more than once ta get my fuckin' head outta my ass an' get my shit together…well now that's what I'm fuckin' tellin' you ta do. Get'cha shit straight. Lotta fuckin' people gon' look ta ya ta tell 'em that shit's gonna be alright…an' that's what the hell ya gotta do so that ever' damn one of 'em keeps fuckin' fightin'."

Alice shifted then, rearranging her clothes where her trip up and down the wall had shifted the garments.

"And if it's just a big fucking lie?" Alice asked. "If I don't believe it?"

Daryl chewed his lip.

"Then ya fuckin' lie," he responded. "Ain't'cha told me before that they was shit ya just didn't say? Ya could fuckin' think it but'cha don't say that shit. I'ma pretend ya ass ain't never said the words that come outta there today…but'cha better not ever let me hear ya fuckin' sayin' that shit again. We ain't got no fuckin' strikes 'round here."

Alice wiped at her nose with the back of her hand but Daryl could already see the frantic and half crazed look she was wearing earlier starting to fade. Slowly her face was morphing back into the face that it normally was, though a little dirtier looking for having been streaked by a tear or two.

"Ya fuckin' nasty," Daryl said. "Go take a fuckin' shower…ain't got too damn many a' those left."

Daryl turned then to leave the tower. He hoped she would leave behind him. Maybe she'd go and take a shower…maybe she'd talk to the head doctor girlfriend she had. Whatever she had to do, maybe she'd get her shit together so that her head was on straight when they figured out the best damn way to go about moving this group without bringing any of her predictions to life.

Daryl was worried about the entire thing. Deep down he feared some of the same shit that she had said, but he wasn't going to voice it now. Now, after hearing it come out of her mouth…the mouth he least expected to lay it out like that, he realized how hopeless and pathetic it sounded. And that wasn't what the hell had gotten them this far and it wasn't what the hell would get them to wherever they were going. They couldn't fall apart. Those who could hold it together had to hold it together for those who were having a little more trouble picking up all the pieces.

They would do what they had to do, but some damn way or another they were going to make it through this shit. They were going to move on and they were going to find what they were looking for, and one day they'd look back on all this…at least he hoped…and they would wonder why they were so damn worried in the first place.

Daryl stopped just as he was leaving the tower, Alice following behind him, and her voice caught his ears.

"Thank you," she said, her voice still not returned entirely to its normal octave.

"Nothin' but a thing," Daryl said, continuing his descent from the tower without another word.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: OK, this one is another non Caryl chapter, at least sort of/for the most part, but I promise we have lots of Caryl getting ready to come up. No fear! **

**I hope you enjoy the chapter! Let me know what you think! **

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When Daryl came in from his talk with Alice, he nearly ran into Melodye who was either looking for him or looking for Alice because she was walking the corridor with some determination. If Daryl hadn't glanced up when he did, he might have hit her with enough force to knock her off her feet, but fortunately he saw her in time to scuff his feet to a stop and put his hands up to catch her shoulders.

"I was looking for you," she said.

Daryl wasn't really in the mood for talking to anyone else. He was drained by the entire turn of events surrounding the upcoming move and the talk with Alice had gotten to him simply because he wasn't used to seeing the woman in the place that she was at. Her concern had him concerned and all he really wanted at the moment was to go back to his cell or find Carol if she wasn't in there.

"Can it keep?" Daryl asked with a sigh.

Melodye narrowed her eyes like she was thinking and then she shook her head. Daryl wasn't used to being addressed by her all that often. Usually Alice was like the loudspeaker for the two of them and Melodye remained quietly in her shadow. The look on her face, though, let Daryl know that he might do better not to ignore her if she was choosing to seek him out just now.

Daryl sighed.

"What'cha need?" He asked.

"Somewhere private?" Melodye asked, her eyes darting around.

Daryl looked around as well. Somewhere private in the prison could be difficult to come by. Daryl scratched his head and finally waved his arm down the hall.

"Offices?" He asked.

Melodye nodded and started down the hall. Daryl followed her quietly to the offices that they had cleared out and barely used for anything if it wasn't for a couple searching for a quiet place to escape prying eyes every now and again.

When they were in the office, the door closed, Melodye walked over and sat on a desk that was in there. Daryl, figuring they might be there for a moment, went and joined her.

"How are you feeling, Daryl? About everything?" Melodye asked.

Daryl chuckled.

"Save ya head shrinkin' business for someone else," Daryl responded. "Ya girlfriend could use it right about now but I ain't got no use for it."

Daryl knew that Melodye was a head doctor or something like it. She was always running around and talking to people about their feelings. Daryl had to admit that he appreciated her advice a good deal when it came to understanding Carol or some of the others in the prison, and she was pretty good at sorting out some of their problems sometimes, but he wasn't one that wanted to sit down and have a conversation with the skinny little blonde about his feelings. That just wasn't his thing. If that's what she'd brought him to the abandoned office for, then she'd drug him here to waste his time.

Melodye chuckled softly and shook her head.

"I knew Alice would be upset," Melodye said. She picked at the fake wood that was chipping on the desk they were sitting on. "She's always taken things personally. It's part of what made her a wonderful…" she hesitated for a moment, "compassionate doctor…but it's what I always figured would drive her to an early grave too."

Daryl fought the urge to sigh. Apparently today was his day to deal with women. He supposed he could suck it up and deal with it if he had to.

"You know," Melodye said, "she was always the type that even if her patient was a hundred and ten…with massive coronary episodes…she was going to feel guilty if he died. I'd have to spend at least a weekend explaining to her and convincing her that she wasn't some kind of Dr. Kevorkian or something like that…"

Daryl nodded slightly and gnawed at his thumb.

"Well, I sent her ta the showers," he responded. "Ya can catch her if ya go now."

He hoped he didn't seem too obvious, but he was really tired and he'd rather them work their problems out for themselves for the night if it was at all possible.

Melodye looked at him, a soft smile on her lips.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of Alice," she offered. She frowned then. "You've got your own fish to fry…"

Daryl wrinkled his brow.

"What I gotta do?" He asked.

"I know that Rick wants to do this move as soon as possible…" Melodye started, her voice sounding hesitant even as she spoke, "but a few days delay isn't going to hurt anything…not when we weren't even planning on going until after the cold weather passed…"

"Right…" Daryl agreed. He didn't know what she was getting at, but there was nothing about this plan that couldn't be postponed for a few days, especially with good reason.

"Well," Melodye continued, her eyes darting between his and the fake wood she continued picking off and dropping on the office floor. "I think that Rick needs to give everyone a few days. Everyone is really shook up right now…and a lot of it has to do with processing. They'd already wired their minds to accept that we'd leave in the spring, and they'd already started preparing themselves for how things would be when we did that…"

"So?" Daryl asked.

"So, they need time to reprogram. I think that the initial rejection that they're going through will pass if they have a little time to process…before Rick starts expecting everyone to just up and pack. Everyone needs a processing period," Melodye said.

"What's that gotta do with me?" Daryl asked.

Melodye twisted her mouth in a strange way while she considered how she wanted to respond to him directly.

"I'm going to talk to Rick. I'm going to suggest he cool things down for a couple of days before we start getting ready," Melodye said. "But he respects you and he listens to you. He'd be more apt to understand where everyone is coming from if you're the one that asks him to just lay off the pressure for a couple of days."

"So ya want me ta talk ta Rick?" Daryl asked.

Melodye nodded.

"Fine," Daryl said. "I can talk ta Rick in the mornin'…tell him people's gotta rewire or whatever the hell it is…they gotta have a couple days 'fore they s'posed ta start gettin' shit together."

Melodye smiled softly again.

"Thank you," she said. "I think that you need to do some…_work_…yourself during these few days."

Daryl wrinkled his brow at the woman.

"What am I s'posed ta do?" He asked.

Melodye repeated the strange puckering face that Daryl had decided must be her face that she made when she was trying to figure out what came next. He waited her out, slowly realizing why Alice was the voice of the couple. He could see where someone as chatty as Alice had probably learned to speak when Melodye was silent, and maybe Melodye liked it that way.

"It's Carol…" Melodye offered finally.

She sighed and shifted around on the desk.

"Daryl…in the old world things would have been different for her. Cayden's not even two weeks old yet…and she holds him when he wants to eat and when he fusses…she changes his diaper when he needs it, but she's trying to keep up with the expectations with the group…" Melodye broke up and looked like she was trying to figure out what she wanted to say next, or like she was concerned. "I don't know if it's really the group expectation or if it's her interpretation of what the group expects, but she feels like…like she has to keep going. She doesn't want people to see Cayden as a burden or something that "gets in the way,"' she made finger quotes at Daryl. "So anytime that he hasn't "needed" her she's been trying to keep up with cooking for everyone…doing the laundry…doing anything that needs to be done…caring for Judith for Rick…she hasn't had any time to just _bond_ with Cayden."

Daryl nipped at his thumb. Now they were in murky water as far as what he knew and didn't know about these things. These were women things, as far as he could tell, and he didn't have a clue where they were going.

"So?" He asked, trying to spur the blonde on.

"So she needs to bond with him. She needs to hold him and cuddle him…and not just when she can justify that he requires it," Melodye said. "Right now she's…well, she's lost a child before and she's feeling inadequate…and a little like a dairy cow."

Daryl wrinkled his brow again.

"She ain't inadequate," he responded.

Melodye smiled the soft smile at him again and shook her head.

"I didn't say she was," Melodye responded. "I said she feels that way. I think that you need to take the couple of days…the time off…and make her take it off too. Make her not worry about anyone else but her family unit. Let her have that time to bond with Cayden…and to bond with you too…so she doesn't feel disconnected from either of you."

"She feels disconnected from me?" Daryl asked, his stomach clenching. He didn't really know what something like that meant, but it certainly didn't sound good and it didn't sound like something that he wanted Carol feeling.

Melodye shook her head slightly, her lips pursing again.

"She's going through some very typical feelings that any mother goes through after they've just given birth," Melodye said. "I've seen it a thousand and one times before. It's nothing unusual and it'll pass, but it'll be a lot better if she gets some…attention from you, and if she has a little time to pay some attention to herself and to Cayden. That's all. It's nothing you've done or haven't done, Daryl."

"So what I gotta do?" Daryl asked.

Melodye shrugged a little, chuckling softly.

"Make her take the days off. Make her spend that time focusing her attention on the three of you…not on anyone else," Melodye said. "If you want to help her out…keep telling her that she's a good mother…that you love her…that she's beautiful…all the things that she needs to hear," Melodye said. "These kinds of things…these feelings…happened all the time before we even landed here, and it's a whole new ballgame when we're talking about setting out and going out there to find some promised land."

Daryl nodded his understanding. He didn't fully understand all that was happening or why Carol would feel the things she might be feeling, but Alice had warned him already about hormones and changing things and stuff that he should look out for. He could figure that had something to do with it and he knew that the move was probably stressing her out if it was stressing him out and Alice out as well. Carol certainly wouldn't be immune to the stress.

"Fine," Daryl said. "So I'll talk ta Rick in the mornin' an' tell him that the whole prison needs some time. I can tell Carol we gotta spend some time together…ya reckon that's gonna fix it?"

Melodye smiled the smile again.

"I don't know if it will fix it, exactly," she said, "but it may go a very long way in helping things."

Melodye shifted around again, finding a fresh place to pick at on the desk before she directed her vision in Daryl's direction once more.

"I know you don't like to talk about things like feelings," Melodye said, "especially your own, but I know that fathers go through some stress of their own…and I can only imagine it's compounded right now. If there's anything you'd like to talk about, you know that you can talk to me, right?"

Daryl nodded at her.

"And if you want me to talk to Carol about something, I can," Melodye offered. "But we would have patient and doctor confidentiality…so if you didn't want me to say anything, then I could keep it just between us. You know, in case you just wanted to get something off your chest or have a calm listening ear."

Daryl nodded again.

"Yeah, I got it…if I wanta chit chat with ya 'bout my feelin's then ya OK ta listen," Daryl said.

Melodye smiled. She nodded and then sighed loudly.

"Is there anything else you want to ask me or anything you'd like to say?" She asked, focusing her eyes on Daryl.

Daryl thought about it for the moment. There might be plenty he wanted to ask once he started this little "escape" of sorts with Carol. He was sure that there would be one or two things that would be bugging him before it was all done, but he was really more likely to talk to Rick or Alice about it than he was Melodye. Still, he might end up taking the blonde up on her offer if Alice was still walking the emotional tightrope that she seemed to be on.

At the moment, though, Daryl was still just tired. And now he was even a little more tired simply because he knew that there were things that needed to be done that didn't have to do with preparation for their big move. Emotional business wore him out quicker than good physical labor did.

Finally he shook his head.

"Reckon I'm good for the time bein'," he responded.

Melodye nodded again and then slid off the desk, wiping her hands on her ass and looking at her palm as though she may have gotten a splinter from the desk she'd been picking apart tiny piece by tiny piece.

"Well, then," she said, "I suppose that I'm going to speak to Rick and then I'm going to get control of Alice."

Daryl nodded at her and found his own feet on the floor.

"I'll talk ta Rick in the mornin'," Daryl said. "I don't see him havin' no problem with people takin' a day or two…or hell, even three…ta get their shit straight. If we start tomorrow or we start in three days, don't change too damn much."

"Good," Melodye said. "I really do think the adjustment period will help everyone…Carol included. And you'll spend some time with her?"

Daryl chuckled slightly.

"Hell, I spend ever' damn day with her," Daryl said.

He thought about it for a second. He did spend every day with her, and every night. There were very few situations that he was gone away from her for more than a night. The truth of the matter was, though, that the day in and day out of the prison and the things that had to be done meant that maybe they saw each other during the day…and maybe they shared meals together and a bed at night…but they didn't really get to spend a whole lot of alone time together that didn't feel like they were stealing it away from something or someone.

Maybe it would do him just as much good as it would do her to get some time where they were actually just together and that's all they had to worry about. Now that he thought about it, it seemed like something he'd really actually enjoy. It felt like something he was missing.

Daryl smiled a little at the thought, but realized Melodye was looking at him and tried to wipe the smile off his face.

"I'm gonna spend a couple days with her," Daryl said.

"Good," Melodye said with a breathy sigh. "Then I'm going to get to work…my night may be a long one."

Daryl chuckled. She had no idea what she was getting into…or maybe she did. The truth was he didn't have a damn clue what it was like when she and Alice were alone together.

"Good damn luck with that shit," Daryl said, reaching out and clapping her on the shoulder. He pushed her forward with the hand that he'd clapped onto her and she turned, smiling over her shoulder as her hand hit the knob on the office door.

"Thanks…you too," she said. "Remember, if you need anything…or you just want to talk, you know where to find me."

"Upstairs, cell on the far end," Daryl said. "Got it."

He caught the door when she opened it and held it open for her to pass through. She didn't say anything else to him, but he didn't much figure that there was anything left to say.

Daryl walked along behind her, but her steps were quicker than his and she disappeared from sight before he even reached his cell door.

As he stood outside of it, he took a minute to collect himself. He was exhausted and he felt like he'd been through the wringer with the move on his mind and the conversations with Alice and Melodye, but he didn't want to take that shit into the cell with him…at least not openly. It would still be there, but he wanted to tuck it away a little bit so that he wouldn't bring Carol down if she was already a little low.

Daryl took a breath and pushed through the curtain, happy to find that Carol was already settled into bed, though she was mending clothes to his dismay, and Cayden was sleeping in the wooden cradle she kept drug right up to the edge of the bed.

Carol looked up at him when he came in the cell door, stilling her working hands for the moment and smiled a little at him.

"There you are," she said. "I was beginning to wonder if you'd run away."

Daryl chuckled at her. Sometimes Alice and Melodye made demands he didn't like when it came to Carol and sometimes they made him do things that he did because they were good for her, but they weren't things he really wanted to do and he didn't know how they'd benefit him other than making her easier to get along with.

Melodye's suggestion of spending a little time just being with Carol, though, that was something he thought he could get behind. Especially now, looking at her looking at him like that. The facial expression she wore…the soft smile…it just reminded him that he missed her any time that he wasn't with her. It made him want to be with her, even if it was a feeling he had to tuck away sometimes for other things that needed to be done.

Now, though, for at least a couple of days, Daryl was going to have a real good excuse to just spend some time with the woman he loved…and spend some time with his son. That was something he could get behind at the moment.

"Told'ja before, woman," Daryl said. "Ain't never goin' no damn where without'cha."

Carol smiled at him and Daryl started to wrestle out of his clothes so that he could crawl in bed with her and get started on their time together…their bonding time, as Melodye had called it.


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Hi everyone. Just dropping this off for you.**

**I hope you enjoy. Let me know what you think! **

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Daryl was tired and he felt like it was far too early to wake up, though he had little to no idea what time it actually was.

Cayden, however, seemed to think it was a perfect time to get up and Daryl felt Carol move out from under his arm and start to move around, getting the baby out of the wooden cradle that he had been sleeping in.

Daryl barely cracked his eyes open enough to look at her as she started humming softly and went about changing the baby's diaper on the mattress beside her, mumbling to him in the sing songy voice that she used with him. Cayden apparently didn't want to stop crying, but he wasn't entirely dedicated to the screaming, so it came out more like he cried until he forgot about it, and then he started crying again.

Daryl shifted around sat up, swiping at his eyes. He watched as Carol was sitting on the edge of the bed, now making moves to feed the baby who was apparently waiting for just that. Daryl considered taking the opportunity to go and find Rick and tell him that he'd be informing Carol he was forcing her to take a vacation of sorts, but he really felt like he hadn't been asleep long enough to be up.

He suspected that if he ventured outside of their cell he'd find out that it was far too early to be out of bed and they were the only ones in the prison awake. Cayden was likely not up for good. This was probably just one of those middle of the night checks that he liked to do to make sure his boobies were still around and in good working order.

Daryl slumped back on the pillow and Carol shifted her weight a little, moving so that she could see him. It was fairly dark in the cell, but he could see that she was looking at him, what light there was reflecting a little in her eyes.

"He just hungry?" Daryl asked, not wanting to commit himself to waking if the baby was going back to sleep.

"I think so," Carol said, her voice soft and low and thick with the sleep she hadn't entirely abandoned either. "I think he's already trying to go back to sleep. Honestly if I knew where in the world his pacifier was he'd probably be happy with that…"

Daryl fumbled around in the cover on the bed. The pacifier had a tendency to show up all over the bed…rolled in the sheets, tucked in the blankets, sometimes it was under one pillow or the other. It got lost easily in the middle of the night feedings when Carol would doze with Cayden, his pacifier handling whatever her breasts hadn't soothed over for him. Daryl always thought it was amazing to find her like that. He had no idea how she could sleep sitting up, the baby in her arms sleeping, and never fall over and never drop the kid. He was afraid he'd drop the kid when he was wide fucking awake just from failing to pay attention.

"Don't know where it is…" he mumbled, not coming up with the rubber nipple.

"We'll find it in the morning," Carol said, yawning and then rubbing at their son's forehead while he half-heartedly sucked, the noise now familiar to Daryl. "He's not going to be happy if it's gone for good. He's only got the one."

Daryl sighed.

"Can't be gone too damn far…an' why the hell's he only got one? I know Lil' Asskicker had like a whole damn box of 'em…" Daryl said.

"I don't know," Carol responded. "I didn't take Judith's things when Cayden was born…and he only has one."

"Fuck," Daryl said. "If'n he likes the rubber nipples ta suck on then I'll get him a couple outta her stuff…ain't like she hardly uses 'em no way."

"I think he'll be fine until morning," Carol said. "I'll find it in the morning…it's probably in the sheets."

Daryl wondered if they were the only people in the world that had entire conversations about things like pacifiers. He didn't know if that was a common occurrence, or if it was something that was unique to them. He didn't feel like he ever heard Rick talk about any of the shit that Lil' Asskicker had or needed unless it was formula…and that was reasonable since there weren't any boobies making milk for her like there were for Cayden.

Daryl groaned from the desire to sleep and flopped over, yanking his pillow under his head and waiting while Carol finished with Cayden. The baby fell asleep and she woke him up by burping him, quickly starting to croon some kind of soft song at him until he was out again, whining a little for lack of the plug. When he stopped abruptly, Daryl heard Carol sigh.

"Found it," she said. "It was in his cradle…not in the bed."

Daryl grunted his satisfaction at the locating of the lost sucking device.

Carol wrestled back into her shirt and got back in bed, facing Daryl but lying down. She'd settle down in a few minutes and get a little more sleep before Cayden roused her again. Daryl was starting to learn this routine.

"He needs to learn not to depend on it anyway," Carol said softly. "It's hard to keep up with things like that when we're on the move."

Daryl sighed. He was too sleepy to worry, but he was beginning to worry that Carol was too concerned about what was going to happen on this move. He didn't know what was going to happen either, and he recognized a strong practicality in her words, but he didn't want her worrying so much and he figured they didn't need to assume they had to introduce their son to all the harsh realities of their world before he'd even learned to stop pissing himself.

Daryl reached out and wrapped and arm around Carol, scooting close enough to her that they were almost sharing a pillow and he could feel her breath hot on his face. He rubbed her back with the arm looped over her.

"Ain't gon' be that bad," he said, hoping to soothe her enough to get her to sleep. He needed time to think about these things before he could have a serious conversation with her, and his current state of mind wasn't the right one for it. He figured they'd have a good deal of time for such conversations while they were on their little bonding vacation. "If'n he likes ta suck on them things then I reckon he can have 'em ta suck on."

"Yeah…" Carol said with a sigh. It wasn't so much a word that said she agreed with him as much as it was a word that said she recognized he was half asleep and the conversation wasn't really going anywhere.

Daryl responded by rubbing her back again and sighing, burying his face in the thin prison pillow.

"Go ta sleep, Carol…don't worry no more," Daryl said. "If there's anythin' ta worry 'bout, we'll worry 'bout it in the mornin' when we both awake. OK? We'll worry 'bout this shit together."

Carol didn't respond, but she did root around, her face rubbing against the pillow. Daryl felt himself drifting off, the warm feeling of her body close to his and the smell of her in his nostrils sending him right back to the land of oblivion that Cayden had stirred him from to begin with.

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Carol tried to will herself to sleep. She needed as much of it as she could steal, she knew that, and Daryl was obviously tired and not yet ready to call it another day.

But her mind wasn't cooperating so much and didn't seem to want to sleep like it should. She was worried about the move…everyone was worried about the move. The selfish part of her, though, felt like she had more reason to be worried than everyone else.

She kept replaying in her mind everything that had happened to them since this whole thing had started. She replayed every attack by Walker, by herd, or by madman. She replayed every death and every injury. She replayed every time she'd had to run or do anything that she wasn't used to doing…every time she'd been terrified that she wasn't going to make it out alive, and usually with good reason. Except that now, every time she replayed it in her mind, she replayed it while trying to figure out how a tiny baby fit into the equation.

And the more she thought about it and the more she replayed it, the more worried she got. She felt more confident with herself now than she ever had before, but she wasn't sure she felt confident enough to believe that she could pull herself and her son through the same kinds of things that they'd been through before.

There was the entire element of the unknown. They'd never been on the road with a baby before. Judith and Cayden both had been born in the prison. And even though Judith was still young, she was much more able to communicate that she required something with a quiet indication or a slightly whiny request.

Cayden didn't know how to communicate that he was even slightly unhappy about something unless it was with a full blown fit. Carol didn't know what that might translate to outside of the relative safety of the prison fences.

All she wanted to do was hunker down with Daryl and their son…and she couldn't do that. She had to put her energy into getting ready to take them on the road, and it was tearing her nerves up.

Daryl's steady breathing and the snoring that escaped him every now and again let Carol know that Daryl wasn't worried to the same degree that she was. He was asleep, as was Cayden, and oblivious to all of this.

Carol sighed and drew herself closer to Daryl's body, snuggling into him and closing her eyes, hoping that the comfort of being there, next to him, would be enough to lull her to sleep.

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When Daryl woke again to Cayden's sharp protests, he rolled his shoulders and stretched his back. His son hushed almost immediately and Daryl watched as Carol sat on the edge of the bed, already feeding him and mumbling to him. Daryl stayed still for the moment and listened to her.

"Breakfast was coming…it wasn't that serious," she said softly to the baby, probably relatively unaware that Daryl was even awake. "You don't really have to try to wake everyone up in the prison. They're all going to expect Mommy to get out there now and have their breakfast ready too."

Daryl stretched his arm out and touched his fingertips against the small of her back. She jumped a little and he knew that she hadn't realized he'd woken. She looked over her shoulder at him and smiled.

"Morning," she said.

"Mornin'," Daryl repeated back to her. "Ya ain't makin' breakfast today."

"I will as soon as Cayden's done," Carol replied. Daryl realized she'd misinterpreted what he said to be a question. He sat up, propping himself on his elbows, a little pleased with the prospect that once he talked to Rick about all this he would be able to return to the spot he was now occupying if that's what he wanted to do.

Daryl shook his head gently.

"No…ya ain't makin' breakfast. We on vacation," Daryl said.

Carol looked at him with a confused expression and he snickered. He supposed that it did sound bizarre for him to say such a thing when you hadn't been privy to his conversations.

"We takin' a couple days," Daryl started to explain. "I'm fixin' ta go talk ta Rick now. The whole damn lot needs a little time ta get used ta what's goin' on here with the move an' you an' me gon' take them days ta just chill out here…spend a lil' time together…a lil' time with Cayden."

Carol looked at first like she might protest and then her face went blank before she finally decided to speak.

"We've got so much to get ready…" she said.

"An' it's still gonna be there in two damn days," Daryl said. "I ain't askin' ya an' we ain't arguin' 'bout it. We takin' some damn time together without you runnin' ya ass around an' takin' care a' everythin' an' without me havin' ta be stuck up under whatever the hell needs ta be done. We just gonna spend this time together."

After a moment a hint of a smile came over Carol's face. Daryl would have missed it if he hadn't been paying attention because she immediately ducked her head as if to hide it and focused her attention on their son.

Daryl sighed and pulled himself out of the bed, quickly dressing.

"Gotta go an' tell Rick," Daryl said. "Mel's done talked ta him, but I gotta back her up."

Carol smiled a little more broadly at him this time, a hint of mischief in her eyes. He knew the look well and wondered what she'd do to pick at him.

"Because he listens to you," Carol teased.

Daryl rolled his eyes at Carol while he finished dressing. Then he leaned over and kissed her on the head before reaching a finger down and rubbing Cayden on the cheek. His son rolled his eyes somewhat in his direction, but nothing was motivation enough for the little thing to abandon the boob he now had dominion over.

Daryl snickered at him.

"Looks almost pissed," Daryl said.

Carol smiled up at him.

"Breakfast is a very serious meal," she responded.

"Must be 'cause he looks like he'd take ya fuckin' head off if ya tried ta stop him from eatin' right now," Daryl said with a snicker. He reached his hand out and tapped Carol under the chin so she'd look up at him enough that he could kiss her, nipping at her bottom lip as he pulled away. "Don't'cha fuckin' go nowhere an' I mean it. Some damn body else can make breakfast this mornin'."

"Yes sir," Carol said with a smile. Daryl responded with another of his own.

"Don't'cha forget it neither," Daryl said, pointing at her and ducking out of the cell to go and find Rick. The sooner he got this over with, the sooner he could get back to the cell and spend some time with his wife and son.

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"No, I think you're right," Rick responded. Daryl had found him outside, and despite the cold he was still following him around because he didn't want to go back inside until he had clearance to stay there. Rick shook his head a little and sighed. "Everyone seems…upset, I guess?"

Daryl shrugged a little.

"We weren't plannin' on movin' an' now we just movin'. It's a lot for people ta swallow," Daryl said.

"Do you think it's a bad idea?" Rick asked. "I mean are we doing the right thing?"

Daryl had heard all the arguments on all sides. The problem was there was no way to say you were doing the right thing or the wrong thing. There had never been that guarantee before and there certainly wasn't that guarantee now.

Either way…whether they went now or they waited…there were risks involved. If he was honest with himself, he knew that there was a chance that they'd lose people. There was always the chance that there could be trouble with Walkers, and there was always the chance that they might run into undesirable people. It didn't matter when they left…or even if they stayed, really…there would eventually be something that would happen that someone could blame on their going or their staying.

Daryl shrugged at Rick and sighed.

"Ain't no way a' knowin'," he responded. "Reckon goin's just as damn good as stayin' though. We know we gotta move on some damn time."

Rick nodded.

"It just feels like whatever happens out there," Rick started, "it's going to be one of those things that everyone is going to blame it on this decision…on my insistence that we go now and not wait."

Daryl clapped Rick on the shoulder. Rick went back and forth sometimes on how much of a leadership role he took for the group. At times his word was almost like law and other times it was like he was content to stay in the background. Sometimes Daryl thought it was because there was a lot of strain involved with having so many people look at you and expect you to know the right answers when the truth was that there really weren't any right answers.

"People always gonna hunt somethin' or someone ta blame," Daryl said. "Ain't'cha fault if things go south…an' it ain't'cha doin' if they good neither. Some a' that shit's just good damn luck or bad damn luck, dependin' on how the hell the chips fall."

Rick smiled at him and returned the hand on his shoulder.

"Carol?" Rick asked, wrinkling his brow.

Daryl already knew what Rick was asking him and he shrugged in response.

"Don't think she's happy 'bout it, but she's gonna be better. She just needs some time…that's why we need these couple a' days, Rick. I'm askin' for 'em for me…for Carol…as much as for anyone else," Daryl said.

Rick nodded again.

"No, I think you're right. Everyone does need a couple of days to process things…and it won't hurt me to have a little time to think too. If we're going to do this then we need to do it right. I was thinking that maybe we could go out, or somebody could, and scout the area a little. Figure out our first couple of stops. That way we at least have something of a plan," Rick said.

Daryl nodded. If they were going scouting for the next places they'd move down the line…something he'd done in the past when they moved on from Hershel's farm…then he knew that he'd be going out. He wasn't crazy about doing it and leaving Carol behind with Cayden, but he knew that it needed to be done and it would offer them some security when they finally did move on.

"We'll take care of it," Daryl responded. "In a couple a' days," he added.

Rick nodded his head again.

"Go," Rick said. "Get back in there to your family…"

Daryl nodded his thanks, offering Rick a half smile.

"Hey," Daryl said. "You too, OK? Get in there an' spend a lil' time with Carl…an with Lil' Asskicker. Kids is growin' up."

Rick smiled.

"They have a tendency to do that," Rick responded. "You just wait, you'll see."

"If we're lucky," Daryl said.

He bit at his lip and nodded once more at Rick before turning and heading back to the prison. There was so much to be done. So much had to be planned and worked out before they were ready to move on and there was so much ahead that was unknown.

At least for now, though…at least for a moment, he was going to get to spend a little time with his family, and he was more than happy about that.


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Hi everyone! It's late here so I'm just dropping this off. **

**I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think! **

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Cayden was wide eyed and looking around, grunting every now and again. Carol was holding him in her lap, his bottom against her body, so that she and Daryl both could look at him.

They were side by side, their backs against the wall, and Daryl had his arm around her shoulder, pulling her slightly against him. They hadn't even gone for breakfast yet, and Daryl almost felt like it wouldn't be worth it to leave the cell even for meals if he didn't know she needed to eat to make food for Cayden.

The prospect of two days together was exciting to Daryl, and it seemed like Carol wasn't hating it entirely. She rubbed against him every now and again, almost like a cat. Cayden certainly didn't seem to be complaining about being held instead of being bundled into the seat that he spent most of his time in, riding from one chore to another with Carol.

"You want to hold him?" Carol asked for about the fourth time in half an hour.

Daryl shook his head.

"Ya doin' just fine," he offered.

Daryl hadn't noticed before, and he doubted he would have noticed if Melodye hadn't drawn his attention to it, that Carol didn't hold Cayden very much unless she was feeding him. As soon as Daryl had come back in the cell, Cayden's meal finished, she'd offered him the baby and she hadn't given up offering him the baby since.

"Can I ask ya somethin'?" Daryl asked after a minute.

"What?" She asked, moving one of her hands to put her finger in Cayden's hand so he could loop his fingers around it. As soon as she did so, he seemed to pant at it a little and Daryl assumed the baby got excited about little things like holding her fingers.

"Why ya ain't wanta hold him?" Daryl asked.

Carol looked at him, confusion or something of the like wrinkling her brow.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Ya keep offerin' him ta me," Daryl said.

"He's your son…" Carol said, smiling, though her brow remained wrinkled.

"An' he's yours too, I reckon," Daryl said.

"I hold him all the time," Carol said. "He eats all day long."

"Yeah…but now that he ain't eatin' ya keep tryin' ta give him ta me," Daryl said. He reached and tipped her heat toward him, kissing the side of her face to try and show her that he wasn't trying to be accusatory or anything else. He didn't want her getting upset. "I reckon ya need ta hold him sometimes when he ain't suckin' on ya."

Carol leaned into him a little and nodded, not responding verbally.

"Ain't nothin' ya wanna talk about?" Daryl asked.

Carol sat quietly for a minute, looking at the baby, rubbing his hand with the thumb he wasn't holding.

"What do you want me to talk about?" She asked.

"How ya feelin' 'bout the move?" Daryl asked.

Carol sighed.

"I'm worried about it…how do you think I feel?" Carol responded.

Daryl hugged her against him again.

"Ain't nothin' ta worry 'bout," he said. "We gonna go out in a couple days…scout out some places we gonna stop. Know ahead a' time how far we goin' an' how long it's gonna take us ta get there. If we find a real good place then we gonna hole up there a couple days an' scout out some more. Move our asses right on into the mountains that way. Step by step."

Carol nodded.

"And when something happens? Then what?" She asked.

Daryl didn't have the response for that. Right now he was trying to be positive about the whole damn thing. The only way he saw for this to work was if they all tried to stay as positive as they could. Things could happen…that was a given…but there was also a chance that nothing would happen.

"We deal with whatever the hell we gotta deal with," Daryl replied. "But they ain't no need in worryin' 'bout it 'til we know it's there."

Carol sighed.

"It's just…we've been through so much already," Carol said. "I mean…since we left Atlanta…look at all that's happened."

"An' we made it this damn far," Daryl said. "An' we gon' make it the rest a' the damn way too. Don't'cha go doubtin' that. We gonna lick this shit."

Carol turned and offered him a soft smile coupled with a light chuckle. Then she bit her lip.

"I'm trying to be positive," she said. "It's just that…it feels like my mind won't let me. It feels like every time I try to say that everything's going to be just fine…that we're all going to be just fine…my mind is right there telling me or showing me all the ways that things might not be fine."

Daryl tipped her head toward him with his fingers on the side of her face and kissed the top of her head. He wanted to be able to promise her that everything was going to be perfect. He wanted to promise her that they'd never see another Walker herd or run into another madman. He wanted to tell everyone that some damn where out there they were going to stumble into fucking Oz or something like that, but he knew that he didn't have the power to do that.

"You just keep tellin' yourself that it's gonna be fine," Daryl said. "Just keep thinkin' that ain't nothin' gonna happen. Don't'cha go tryin' ta check out on my ass 'fore we even hit the pavement. It was you told me one time woman that you weren't gonna let me pull away. Now I'm tellin' ya the same damn shit."

Carol hummed at him.

"I'm not trying to pull away, Daryl," Carol said. She shook her head slightly. "It's not that at all. I guess…I guess it just boils down to the fact that I'm worried."

"Don't worry no more, then," Daryl said. "Don't worry 'bout none of us. Alice's gonna rig ya up so ya got Cayden next to ya. He's gonna be warm right up next ta ya body an' ya gonna keep him fed. That's all ya gotta worry 'bout. Ya gonna take care a' him an' we gonna take care a' you…an' when we get ta the fuckin' mountains we gon' build us a real damn life."

"What do you think we're going to find there, Daryl?" Carol asked. "I mean we're all talking about what we're going to find…how we're going to build this life…but what do you think we're really going to find? We fought so hard for this place, for what we have now. It was just beginning to feel safe, and now we're moving on…do you think we're going to find something better?"

Daryl had considered what they might find, but he hadn't come up with any real answer. There was no way of knowing really what they might find. He didn't feel like admitting, though, that he wasn't sure and he was just as damn curious as the rest of them as to how they were going to continue on and how they were going to build this life they'd made up in their heads.

He decided, for the time being, to offer her the imaginary life he had in his mind. She didn't know that he was as clueless about what their future might hold as she was. Right now he figured she needed him to be in control of things…or at least to feel like he was in control of them.

"When we get there," he said. "We gonna find a good place…tucked up some damn where. We gonna build us some little cabins if they ain't there already. We gonna have some fields an' we gonna grow the shit we need. Have some more damn places ta put us some animals an' we gonna let 'em multiply. Have our own damn farm, big enough ta keep us all satisfied. An' we gon' live tucked up in them mountains 'til we old an' grey 'cause I ain't movin' no damn more."

Carol looked at him and smiled broadly this time.

"You really think we're going to find all that?" She asked.

Daryl nodded, grunting in his throat. He wasn't sure that's really what they were going to find, but he knew he was going to do his best to find it. He figured if they could get all that then they'd be just about as fucking happy as they could be. Everybody would have their space, not crammed up into prison cells all on top of one another. They'd have enough to eat and there was bound to be some water they could build their lives around…something to make sure they never went thirsty. Tucked back far enough…in cabins strategically placed…they'd be safe from Walkers who weren't known for being sure footed. He figured the kids could grow there…have a chance at a normal life…a good life.

They might not have every damn thing that world had told them they needed once upon a time, but they'd have enough to be pretty damn happy with the way things went nowadays.

"I do," Daryl said. "I do think that's what the hell we gonna find."

Carol seemed a little lighter at the moment and Daryl felt relief over that. It almost felt like when her demeanor made a switch it lightened the air in the cell. It made it easier for him to breathe.

"Do you think we're going to find more people?" Carol asked. "What if the place we're looking for is already occupied?"

Daryl chuckled. He didn't mind talking about his thoughts for the future if Carol was in good spirits. It was almost like making up a fairy tale with a hint of truth. It was more about talking about their hopes and their dreams than reality, since they had no way of knowing what reality might be, but he was more than happy to talk with her about what he hoped for them just as much as they had talked about what it might be like if they'd been together before all this had happened.

"Well…if they good people we let 'em stay. If they ain't…reckon we gonna run 'em out if we can't find a better place," Daryl said. "Might be a lotta good people left out there. Ya don't know."

"There's also the chance of another Governor…or what about that man that took us? That group? There could be more like that out there," Carol said.

"Then we do the same damn thing we did ta them," Daryl said. "We ain't rollin' over ta nobody. We got rid a' the damn Governor an' we got rid a' that damn asshole. Picked us up a few decent spares here an' there too…couple could use some work, but they ain't too damn bad. We gonna make it, though."

"And when we find some pretty young thing with a taste in her mouth for a Dixon man?" Carol teased, raising her eyebrow at Daryl with a smirk.

He brought his face against her, dipping his head to nuzzle her neck before nipping the skin there and growling at her.

"An' when we find some bold lil' rooster just lookin' for a high class lady?" Daryl asked, coming back up and grinning at her.

She snorted.

"Oh…me and all my glory," she said, rubbing at the belly that hadn't left her from Cayden's birth.

"Damn straight woman," Daryl said, rubbing a circle where her hand had trailed. "That's the damn body that built my son…an' it don't matter no way. Soon as we get us a nice lil' house up there, I'm fillin' ya back up. Cayden's gonna need a brother."

Carol chuckled at him.

"Well as long as we're talking fairy tales," she said. "Then I think I'll let you have the next one."

Daryl chuckled and nodded his head slightly.

"Mmm…" he responded. "Reckon it is my turn…"

Carol laughed.

"That would be some trick, Daryl," she said.

He couldn't help but laugh at her, happy to see that she looked lighter at the moment than she had in quite a few days.

"Damn sure would be," Daryl said.

They were interrupted when Milagros cleared her throat outside their cell.

"Brought you some breakfast," the older woman said.

Daryl thought Milagros spoke like she had peanut butter in her mouth. She was a nice older lady, though. He didn't know how old she was exactly, but he figured her to be at least a decade older than he was…and he thought she might be even older than that, but he didn't want to go laying years on anyone. Life didn't necessarily treat them all the kindest that it could, and the life they led now had a way of aging people.

"Come on in, Milagros," Carol called. "We're not doing anything."

The woman ducked into the cell, smiling broadly. She held two bowls in her hands which she offered to Daryl after she'd crossed the room. Daryl accepted them.

Milagros smiled at Carol, resting a hand on her shoulder and then dipped her head down to Cayden and rubbed her nose against his cheek.

"The little one…he needs something to eat?" She asked.

"I hope not…" Carol said. "He doesn't give me much of a break."

Milagros chuckled.

"I had six boys," she said. "All of them were big eaters. The last one weighed ten pounds when he was born."

"Wow!" Carol responded. "Really? Six boys?"

Milagros chuckled and nodded.

"I wanted a girl," she said. She shook her head and sighed, but Daryl could tell it wasn't really a genuine sigh. "There wasn't a girl in the cards for me, though…just the six boys."

Daryl didn't ask her about where her sons were now or if she even knew. Too many times it was like picking at scabs to ask people about their families these days. There were only two answers if they didn't have them with them when you found them. Either they had been apart from them when the world went crazy and they didn't know where they were…but they could probably guess…or else they were together and now they weren't…which was never a positive scenario. It was simply better to let people tell just as much of their story as they wanted to share and leave the rest to imagination.

"Thank you for taking over breakfast," Carol offered.

Daryl handed Carol a bowl of the oatmeal with a spoon in it and she hovered it out the side so that the bottom of the bowl wouldn't be up in Cayden's face.

Milagros nodded, wringing her hands a little.

"It's nothing," she said. "I like to help…and everyone is busy right now. I didn't have anything I needed to do."

"What do you think about the move?" Daryl asked.

The woman never really voiced her opinion on anything. She remained, in general, on the sidelines. She was even less vocal than Ned and his grandkids were about the happenings around the prison. Mostly she helped out here and there with Carol and the other women and she sat quietly tending to Judith when given the opportunity or Cayden when he wasn't occupied with someone else. If she hadn't been seen, she might not have even existed.

Milagros shrugged a little at the question, pursing her lips.

"I don't think about it," she said. She made a face like she was thinking about it for the first time then. She smiled again. "I have always liked to travel. I came here when I was nineteen. I was born in Colombia…I've never been to the mountains. I think I would like to go there…and I'm not getting younger."

"So ya ain't worried 'bout it?" Daryl asked.

"Nah…" the woman said. "What's there to worry about?"

Daryl chuckled at her. Well, at least one damn person in this group was waking up from the doom and gloom attitude that had fallen over them when they'd discussed the move.

Milagros ducked her head again, nuzzling Cayden and he made a noise at her. When she pulled away, Daryl could see on his son's face that he was either surprised or pleased by his own noise…it was difficult to tell which was which sometimes.

Milagros smiled again and tapped Carol once more before she started to leave.

"Eat your breakfast…enjoy your morning. I'm playing dominos with Ned now…he'll be waiting," the woman said, winking.

Carol smiled at her.

"Are you and Ned…?" Carol asked, letting her voice trail off, but Daryl could tell by the intonation what she was asking and he could tell from the chuckle Milagros let out that she knew too.

"We're playing dominos," Milagros said.

"So that's what all the young people are callin' it now?" Daryl responded, chuckling himself at the joke. Milagros winked at him and ducked out of the cell.

"Least some damn body's stayin' positive," Daryl offered. "Wonder how she an' that Cynthia chick ever ended up groupin' together when Cynthia's such a sour bitch."

"Now you're being mean," Carol offered. She spooned an oversized amount of oatmeal into her mouth and Daryl watched her swallowing it down.

"Ain't bein' mean if it's the damn truth…ya think she's a bitch too. Admit it. Karen an' Alice are the only damn ones put up with her half the damn time…an' I think Alice just likes ta get her riled up," Daryl said.

Carol smiled.

"She's…difficult sometimes," Carol offered. "But I guess that everyone copes in their own way. Alice thinks that she and Karen might…" Carol let her sentence trail off and swallowed down another glop of the oatmeal. Daryl was eating his, but with much less gusto than Carol was putting into it and he figured he'd switch plates with her when she finished and let her have the extra.

"Thinks they might be playin' dominos?" Daryl finished for her.

Carol nodded her head.

Daryl shrugged a little. Once upon a time the announcement might have surprised him or it might have intrigued him at the very least. Now, though, he supposed he was desensitized to it. Alice and Melodye were a couple and there was no doubting it…but they weren't any different than any other couple he'd ever known. He supposed if Karen and Cynthia wanted to be together…and they certainly fit together at times…then they might as well get whatever the hell they could out of it.

"Reckon we gonna have ta build 'em they own cabin," Daryl offered.

"We're going to need a lot of cabins if we don't double up," Carol said. "Especially if we run into more people."

Daryl hummed his agreement with her, eating more of the lumpy mush that was intended to provide some kind of nourishment.

"People can double up if they want," he said. "But we ain't doin' it. We gon' have our own place…an' Cayden's gettin' his own damn room so he ain't gonna be wonderin' what the hell's goin' on when we playin' dominos."

Carol chuckled, almost choking on her oatmeal.

"Mmm…" she hummed, swallowing down what was in her mouth. "No…we wouldn't want him finding out about that when he's so young. There will be plenty of time for that later."

Daryl nodded his head.

"Damn straight…fuck ya right up ya get ta doin' that shit too early," he agreed.

Daryl held his bowl, deciding what was left could be used to make more food for Cayden because he didn't have any interest in it, but his son was beginning to smack a little while he laid in the juncture between Carol's legs and that meant that soon he'd be asking for a refill on his earlier meal.

Daryl leaned over, rubbing his nose against Carol's temple, enjoying her smell. He closed his eyes, growling a little.

Carol chuckled.

"What are you going through over that oatmeal?" Carol asked.

"Ain't the damn oatmeal," Daryl said. "Ya gonna eat the rest a' this shit. It's you that's gettin' under my damn skin. Got two damn days ta spend together an' Alice said we can't do nothin'. Swear she's the biggest damn cockblock in the fuckin' world."

Carol chuckled.

"It isn't Alice being mean to us," Carol offered. "I don't know if you were absent the day that Cayden was born…but we didn't find him growing under a cabbage leaf and things have to heal."

Daryl huffed.

"Reckon I'll just have ta fuckin' suffer through it, then," Daryl said.

Carol smiled at him.

"How about we finish breakfast…and I'll top your son off because he's already got that look in his eyes…and maybe he'll go down for a little nap?" Carol said. She smiled at him.

"An' what? We gon' play fuckin' cards? 'Cause we know we ain't playin' dominos," Daryl responded.

"Well…" Carol said. "I could help you out with a game of solitaire…"

Daryl smiled at her. He loved when she got that look in her eye. There was something so sexy about her teasing…just the way she held her head or the way her eyes looked when she was trying to get a rise out of him. And just the teasing did indeed get a rise out of him.

"What damn good's it gonna do for you?" Daryl asked.

Carol shook her head a little and then moved to drag her spoon across the bottom of the bowl, popping the contents into her mouth before he reached to take it and trade her out for his half eaten meal.

"Don't worry about that," she said when she'd swallowed. "It'll do me good to know you're not playing alone…and then we can take a nap maybe. You could rub my shoulders…"

"Hmmm…" Daryl mused. "Sounds like ya got a damn deal."

He looked at Cayden and reached his hand down, looping his finger in his son's hand. He smiled when his son wrapped his tiny fingers around his much larger fingertip.

"Ya better start gettin' sleepy, lil' man," Daryl said. "Gotta spend some time with ya Ma an' ya too damn young ta see this shit."

Cayden tugged a little at Daryl's finger and huffed at him, but otherwise made no response. Carol worked on cleaning the second bowl and when it was done she took the empty bowls and put them on the floor beside the bed for him to run to whoever was responsible for the dishes.

Daryl leaned back against the wall and waited for her to feed Cayden, change his diaper, and try to coax him into sleep which really wasn't all that difficult given that it was about time for him to slip into a nap and a full stomach always seemed to push him the rest of the way over when he was fighting it.

It might not be the best way that Daryl could think of…at least if he let his imagination run wild…to spend time with Carol, but he was pretty pleased with it and he was going to make the best of the two days that they did have.


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: Here you go, a little something. **

**I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think! **

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Carol was lying there for as long as she could, Daryl dozing beside her, his arm thrown over her body, but she knew she couldn't stay any longer. Her bladder felt like it might explode and that really wasn't a good thing given her current status these days.

One sneeze might put her in a very embarrassing place at the moment.

And now that Daryl was asleep she could easily move his arm and shift out of the bed without disturbing him too much.

Carol gently lifted Daryl's arm and moved it to the side, holding her breath. She eased out of the bed and stopped as Daryl reached out, catching her around the waist to try to pull her back down.

"Don't," she grunted.

"Where ya goin'?" Daryl asked.

"Please, don't," Carol said. "I really have to pee, Daryl…like right now."

Daryl chuckled and moved his arm and Carol made her way to the bucket they kept in the corner as quickly as possible while still avoiding accidentally bumping her son's cradle in the crowded cell.

Daryl watched her and chuckled, his chin resting on his arm where he'd now rolled to his stomach.

"No privacy?" She asked.

Daryl smirked again.

"Hell, woman…reckon I seen ya with ya pants down a time or two," Daryl said. He lifted his head and looked at the wall. "I won't look if ya don't want me to."

Carol chuckled lightly at him.

Her business done she moved to wash her hands at the small basin that they kept in the room, resting on top of the dresser and dried them on her clothes. She leaned over Cayden's cradle to watch him for a moment.

The little boy slept like Daryl in that he slept with complete abandon. His legs and arms were sprawled and his head was lolled to the side, his pacifier having dropped out of his open mouth at some point.

Carol smiled at him sleeping there. If they were quiet enough he'd sleep for a while longer. He'd missed an earlier nap and that meant that he'd make it up with this one so long as nothing woke him.

The baby could almost smell her, though, and she noticed him turn, stretch a little in his sleep, and start to smack his lips. She reached as quickly as she could into the cradle, fished out the abandoned pacifier, and gently slipped it into his mouth, holding it there for a second while, in his sleep, he realized it was there and sucked it in tighter into his mouth to help make whatever dreams he was having more pleasant.

"He up?" Daryl asked, before she'd even straightened herself up. Carol raised a finger to her lips and then stood up carefully. She eased back to the bed and Daryl held the cover up so that she could slip under it beside him.

"If we're not too loud then he might sleep a bit more," Carol said.

Daryl pulled Carol close to him and she snuggled into him. He kissed the side of her face lazily, dotting soft kisses from her forehead to her chin so that she kept her eyes closed so as to not disturb him when he kissed the corner of the one closest to him.

He was drowsy and would likely go back to sleep himself, but she wasn't going to complain if he wanted to keep the snuggling and the kissing up until he drifted off again.

Daryl groaned a little and Carol could tell the he was drifting off but fighting it. She shifted around, snuggling into him more and he tightened the arm that he had around her.

"Wish we weren't on probation sos I could do somethin' for ya," Daryl said. He nuzzled her neck and kissed her right below her ear. He yawned softly. "Hell I can't show ya I love ya or nothin'."

Carol chuckled.

"We don't have to have sex for you to show me you love me, you know?" She said, her voice low. "It's a bonus…but that's it."

Daryl sat up a little, his eyes heavy, smirking at her.

"So ya sayin' if we ain't never had sex again ya wouldn't care?" He asked, a little incredulous.

Carol smirked just at his facial expression.

"Settle down," she said, moving her arm so she could pat him. "I didn't say all that. I mean I'd miss it…but I'm saying that it's not the most important thing. I like this just as much."

"Mmm…" Daryl mumbled, dropping back down to his original position. "Well I hope we ain't on probation forever."

"Not forever," Carol offered.

Carol wondered how much more of _this_ they'd really get to have. Life on the road wasn't exactly conducive to any kind of lazy cuddle time. In fact, it really wasn't even conducive to sex unless it was some quick encounter snatched here or there, always with the fear of being caught with your pants down by whatever was around the next corner or by a group member at the very least.

And now they had Cayden, and Carol had no idea what travelling with him would be like. He'd have to be with them at all times and she wasn't negotiating on that. She might, if they were in some very secure feeling location, consent to have someone else keep watch over him for a few moments, but she felt like she didn't want him out of her sight or out of her arms.

Letting Sophia out of her reach for even a moment had cost her the life of her child, and she was determined to do everything in her power to make sure that it never happened again. Someone might try to take him…or something might try to take him…but they'd have to take her too. And she certainly wasn't going to blindly put her faith in anyone else to keep him safe…that had cost her too.

She imagined that life on the road was going to afford her very little privacy with Daryl and she hoped that he'd be OK with it, since she'd never actually seen him in that situation before.

She also hoped that she at least got clearance from Alice before they left to be with him…at least offer him something, though she hated to think of it as trying to give him some kind of sexual encounter "to hold him over".

And then there were her worries about how he'd react about being with her now that she'd had Cayden.

Carol shifted a little without meaning to and Daryl lazily trailed his fingers on the arm they rested against.

"What'cha stewin' over?" He asked. "'Cause I know ya ain't tryin' ta sleep."

Carol considered her response for a second.

"You know that when we can have sex again…well, it might not be the same," Carol said finally.

Daryl grunted something of a response at her.

"My body has changed," Carol continued, realizing she wasn't getting more out of him than the grunt and the grunt didn't really mean anything at the moment more than being a sound to be a placeholder in the conversation. "Things stretch…and I'm not as young as I was when I had Sophia…and…" Carol let her voice trail off.

Daryl sighed and raised up again.

"An' what?" He asked.

Carol hadn't actually realized he was listening. She'd started to think that he was just sleeping and letting her talk to herself.

She shook her head, old memories there…old words playing back in her mind. They were old words from a voice long dead. It was a voice that she'd thought for a while was gone, but it was never really gone…and lately it had been there more and more regularly taunting her about all kinds of things she'd rather not have it weigh in on.

"When I had Sophia," Carol said, "Ed said that…well…things weren't like they were. I wasn't like I used to be."

Daryl looked at her like he wasn't amused and she knew that he hated the very mention of Ed, and she hated to mention Ed too, but the fact remained that dead or not, an asshole or not, Ed had very much been a part of her life.

Carol sighed at his facial expression.

"I just don't want you to be surprised if you don't like it anymore," Carol said.

Daryl rolled his eyes and shook his head slightly from side to side before sighing and leaning forward, kissing the tip of her nose and then bringing his lips to hers for a soft kiss.

"Fuck, woman…'less ya grew some damn teeth down there ta try an' bite my dick off, I reckon we'll work the hell around shit," Daryl said. He chuckled to himself. "An' even then I might see it as a fuckin' challenge."

Carol chuckled at him and pulled him in her direction so that he more or less toppled onto her, kissing her chin.

"Let's take a damn nap, OK? Ya had me feelin' too damn good ta go stirrin' me up with ya nonsense," Daryl said.

Carol nodded slightly at him and he dropped beside her.

She let him wrap his arm around her and snuggle her close again and she closed her eyes and tried to sleep. She knew that he saw it as nonsense that she got upset about things and that things that Ed had said still haunted her, but she couldn't help that they were there and she couldn't help that she worried that things would bother Daryl that he really still had no idea wouldn't bother him.

Still, she knew that she had to trust him and trust that he realized that things _were_ different now. Now they weren't just…what? They weren't just lovers tangling up with each other when given the opportunity.

They were an old married couple, perhaps…maybe as old a married couple as the world allowed…and more than that, they were parents…parents of a newborn at the end of the world.

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"Don't act scared of him, Daryl…" Carol coached, trying to keep her voice soft despite the fact that Cayden was squalling like he was being murdered, which wasn't the case at all.

They had the small room where they washed him warm to a point that Carol felt like she was melting into a puddle, so she knew the baby wasn't cold. Daryl was attempting for the first time to give him a bath, though, and though it was a simple sponge bath that didn't even involve the trauma of being dipped in water, Cayden had decided he wasn't going to enjoy it one single bit.

Carol worried that the real problem was that Daryl was tense enough that he'd become as stiff as a store mannequin, and Cayden could smell fear.

Carol was more worried about Daryl at the moment. She knew the baby was fine, although unhappy for the moment, but Daryl honestly wasn't looking so good. He seemed to have tried to give up breathing and she worried that it might have negative effects on him, or that he might be so traumatized from making his son scream the way he was that he might never agree to try anything like this again.

"It's OK," Carol said to Daryl rather than the red faced infant. "Just breathe. He's fine. You're not hurting him at all."

"Why don't he stop screamin'?" Daryl asked, his voice revealing some of his panic. Carol ran a hand around his back and tried to urge him to continue with the bath.

"Keep your voice soft," Carol said. She did her best to drop her voice to the most soothing one she had…the one she used to soothe Cayden when he was unhappy. "He can tell you're scared and he doesn't know why, so his only defense is to assume that if you're scared, he should be scared. He's just calling for help."

Carol noticed that her voice was having a slight calming effect on the baby who was turning his head and coming in search of her for the moment with his eyes. She thought her voice might also be calming Daryl.

She tried not to laugh to herself at the fact that Daryl…her big, strong, husband…had shaking hands at the moment as he slowly went back to washing Cayden like she'd showed him and drying him as each little piece of him was clean.

When Daryl finally finished washing Cayden, Carol stepped and nudged Daryl a little, moving her son on the counter space in front of her where she could get to him. It was quicker to rub him down with lotion and get him diapered and clothed herself and it would be less traumatic for Cayden who had calmed down some but wasn't entirely sure he wanted to forego his fit entirely.

"Ya so much better at this shit than I am," Daryl said, somewhat remorsefully.

Carol sighed a little to herself but reminded herself that she had her demons…her insecurities…about everything in life and so did Daryl.

It just so happened that one of Daryl's strongest insecurities was that he was going to fail at being a father. He seemed to see every time that Cayden cried, or every time that he spit up while Daryl was holding him, or even every time he sneezed as some form of evidence that the ball was already set into motion and he was failing.

"I've done this before," Carol said, maintaining the voice that she'd been using, noticing that it did have an effect on the baby that was probably slowly switching gears to remember that after baths always came cuddles and milk and sleep. "Besides, my fingers are smaller."

"Fuck's that gotta do with the damn price a' tea?" Daryl asked, his breathing finally seeming to even out and his body obviously more relaxed, though Carol assumed he was probably sore from all the tension he'd been holding.

Carol shrugged slightly. She didn't know if there was any truth in what she was going to say, but she'd say just about anything to make Daryl feel better. She'd say anything she could to make him believe that she meant what she said when she told him he was the best kind of father there could be, even if she'd seen him lick Cayden's pacifier when it fell on the floor before offering it to the baby again, or even if she'd marveled at the fact that Daryl could put him into clothes without getting a single pin, button, or snap right on either his diaper or his outfit.

He might not have all the details worked out, and he might fumble now and again, but Carol knew that his fumbling only resulted from the fact that he wanted to do everything so perfectly that his intentions got in the way sometimes.

But she couldn't deny that Daryl loved his son, and she wondered if she could have searched the world over and ever found a man that could love his child quite the way that Daryl did. He marveled at Cayden like he was absolutely the most perfect thing that he'd ever seen, and he was terrified to be entrusted with such perfection.

"My fingers are smaller," Carol said. "It makes the tiny things easier, and right now everything about Cayden is pretty tiny. It'll get easier for you as he gets bigger."

She picked the baby up and swiped at her forehead with her sleeve, aware that she was wet enough from sweat to have almost taken a bath and Daryl was nearly dripping. She moved her shirt, not having bothered with the ridiculousness of a bra, to latch her son so that he could begin his bedtime ritual even while they escorted him back to the cell.

Daryl moved to gather up the things from Cayden's bath, dumping the water in the sink nearby, and put them in the pink plastic tub they'd acquired to carry all of Cayden's items back and forth.

"Besides…when he cries like that," Carol said. "He's OK. You're not hurting him and he'll get over it, just like he did. You just keep doing what you need to do and it's over quicker for the both of you."

Daryl sighed.

"Maybe," he responded. "But'cha still a whole lot better at that shit than I am."

Carol chuckled.

"I'm Mommy," she said. "We have super powers."

Daryl chuckled in response.

"Daddies have super powers too, you know," Carol said. "They just happen to be a little bit different."

"Hope the damn things kick in soon," Daryl grumbled, moving to switch off the heater and take up the pink tub to follow her back to their cell in the odd silence of the prison where everyone was hiding out and enjoying their quiet time.

"They already have," Carol said. "You just haven't realized it."

"But you have?" Daryl asked, shuffling along beside her as she moved at a slow enough pace so as to not disturb Cayden too much.

She chuckled again.

"Mmm…" she hummed. "I've known about them for a while now."


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: OK, here we go, another chapter…this one is sort of a bridge chapter or something like that to start setting up some of the action to come. **

**I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think! **

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"Alright fuckers, gather 'round," Alice said from her position almost in the center of the room. She was sitting backwards in one of the chairs she'd drug in from the dining area and Cayden was nestled into her arms, singing to her from time to time and sucking on one of the pacifiers that Daryl had taken from the piles of things that Judith never used.

Everyone else was sitting around, somewhat willy nilly, on the extra mattresses that they used as couches in the common area.

Carol was sitting on Daryl's lap, leaned back against him, with his arms encircling her, trying not to focus at all on the fact that the next morning he intended to leave out with Glenn, Wyatt, and Brian in search of the first few stops that they would be making as a group when they moved on from the prison.

"I've called together this little meeting because there's something that we have to discuss," Alice said. "This is the Bean. Some of you know him as Cayden…that's his non-super hero name…and he got here because of the very same issue that we're going to be talking about tonight."

"Is this age appropriate?" Rick asked suddenly, Carl sitting near him on one of the mattresses.

Alice frowned at him.

"Kid's gotta learn eventually. Now's as good a fucking time as any," Alice said. "Now…let's talk about safe sex. For all of you dirty, dirty heterosexuals in the bunch, safe sex is a thing of the past. We have condoms…and I know you assholes have them scattered all over this place because I've seen you trading them like they're currency…but they're about half as effective as they once were and even then they weren't guaranteed to work."

"You goin' somewhere with this?" Daryl asked, shifting around. Carol tried to move, afraid his legs might be going to sleep up under her, but he just tightened the grip he had around her and held her into place, clucking in her ear.

"I have your child…" Alice said, glancing in their direction with a frown.

Carol snickered and she could hear Daryl chuckle behind her.

"Get on with it, then," Daryl said.

Alice rolled her eyes and shook her head slightly before readjusting the baby in her arms who had decided at the moment to pay very close attention to her as she spoke, as though he was more fascinated with her speech than anyone present.

"Now," Alice said, "I'm not trying to police anyone's sex life or your reproductive choices. You can all batten down the hatches and turn into the little old people who lived in shoes for all I care, but I want you to at least be aware that if you're having sex, you might end up with one of these."

Alice lifted Cayden up a little who was humming from behind his pacifier.

"Condoms are a bonus, of course, and you should wrap it if you use it," Alice said, "but they're made of latex. Latex doesn't withstand time well and it doesn't withstand the lovely temperatures of our now climate controlled conditions. We're getting ready to hit the road and I thought this might be a pretty decent time to point it out that you need to have these things on your mind."

Carol glanced around. Carl was snickering, his face a little blushed, but prison life hadn't let the boy be ignorant to the ways of people. Glenn too looked a little embarrassed by the conversation, and Wyatt was squirming a little, though as far as she knew he wasn't with anyone.

Everyone else sat looking somewhat bored, their heads tipped to the side, humoring Alice since she was the resident doctor that would be responsible for any babies that might be born to the group, now or in the future.

"If you run into trouble," Alice said, "or you think you have…let me know as soon as possible, though. On the road we might not have the best medical care, but something's better than nothing if we don't want complications."

There was silence for a moment.

"We done?" Daryl finally asked.

Carol snickered. Daryl would harass Alice quicker than most of the others, and that was mostly because she would give it right back to him when she felt the time was right.

"I'm done," Alice said. "Unless anyone has anything they want to bring up."

A collective rumble and the fact that people were beginning to move about signaled that no one had anything to add to the situation and Carol shifted off of Daryl's legs to allow him to get up and dramatically bend his knees for a moment requesting that his body resume normal circulation. He reached a hand down and helped her to her feet so that they could go and collect their offspring that Alice was cuddling.

"Did we spur this speech on?" Carol asked Alice, coming to her and taking Cayden into her arms.

"No," Alice said. "Believe it or not, you're not the only people banging it out around here."

Daryl chuckled.

"We ain't doin' shit right now," he said.

Alice made a face at him.

"And you're not going to until I tell you that you can…and you better be careful after that too," she warned. "We know everything is up and functioning and there's no need to see how quick of a turnover you can get here."

"Point taken," Carol said, smiling at the woman.

Alice yawned and stretched.

"Did you two have a splendid vacation?" She questioned, glancing around and smiling at a couple of people who were going here and there to finish up their evening.

Carol nodded.

"Ain't over yet," Daryl said. "Still gotta couple more hours."

Alice nodded and scratched her head.

"You're going out tomorrow with the group, though?" She asked.

Carol and Daryl both nodded.

"Bad damn deal, huh? How the hell did you decide who was going?" Alice asked.

Carol directed her attention toward Daryl and he shrugged.

"Sorta fell in our damn laps that way, ya know?" Daryl responded. "Rick's got the kids…so it just came down ta bein' the four a' us."

"Yeah…" Alice said. "You've got a kid too now."

Alice glanced at Carol and Carol caught her eye. Alice was known for being mouthy, but Carol knew the woman restrained herself a good deal more than people gave her credit for. If she felt the urge to speak about everything she'd ever disagreed with at the prison then it would be probable to assume that she'd never shut up.

Melodye walked up then, looping her arm around Alice's and leaning her head against Alice's shoulder, smiling in Carol's direction toward Cayden.

"What are we talking about?" Melodye asked, glancing a little in Alice's direction without actually moving her head.

"Selection practices," Alice offered. She sighed. "We were just finishing up, though."

"Headin' out tomorrow," Daryl offered to Melodye who looked a little confused. "Alice was just askin' how they picked who was goin'."

"How did they pick it?" Melodye asked.

Daryl shrugged again.

"Just the most likely people ta go," Daryl said. "It ain't no big thing. We gon' be back within a week or so."

Carol didn't say anything. She didn't really know what to say about it. She didn't like the idea that they were going out, but Daryl had basically volunteered, as had the others. Whether or not they volunteered because they were the only people that would do it mattered very little.

She didn't really like the idea of Daryl leaving for at least a week…realistically maybe longer…and she didn't like the idea of him being part of the team that would be the first to start blazing a trail toward God knows what, but she knew better than to really say anything.

For Daryl this kind of thing was something he felt was his responsibililty. Taking care of the group and moving the group forward, even at risk to himself perhaps, was his responsibility…his ultimate responsibility…and he saw that as, by association, taking care of her and Cayden as part of the group.

"Well if we're not up when you leave," Melodye offered, "good luck and be safe."

Daryl smiled at the blonde and nodded slightly.

"Always am," he responded, his customary response to anyone telling him to be safe.

"Well, goodnight fuckers," Alice said. She leaned over and Carol held Cayden out so she could kiss him on the forehead. Carol smiled at him as his eyes trailed after her when she pulled away.

Carol and Daryl bid the women goodnight and said goodnight to Hershel, Ned, and Milagros who seemed to be staying in the common room for some conversation or whatever form of entertainment they may have chosen for the evening, and headed back to their cell to spend what little time they could before they had to sleep so that Daryl wouldn't be exhausted when their small group set out at first light.

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Daryl looked as tired as Carol felt and she wondered if he'd actually slept at all the night before. She'd tried to get up the very moment that Cayden so much as warned he was going to cry in order to keep him from disturbing Daryl, but with all of them sharing a cell it just wasn't possible.

Now he was up and ready to go. He'd already been out and helped load up the vehicle the four men were setting out in, and all that was left was to say goodbye to Carol and Cayden before he'd crawl into the car and head out with the others.

And Carol didn't want to admit that she felt like her heart was breaking into pieces at the very thought of watching him go out of those gates…out there…not knowing what might happen.

She was trying to hold it together though, for Daryl. She didn't want him to go out there knowing that she was upset and she didn't want her mood to affect Cayden too much.

Daryl was standing awkwardly in the cell now, nuzzling his son in quiet and Carol was standing off to the side trying desperately not to let her worries get the best of her. She'd kept herself from crying, or at least crying audibly, but she still had to reach up now and again and swipe away the tears that simply refused to be held back.

"Ya gotta be good, lil' man," Daryl said to the baby. "Ya the man a' the cell while I'm gone an' ya Ma's gonna need ya ta keep her ass in line."

Carol chuckled softly through the tears that were trying to choke her.

Daryl looked up at her, a certain amount of pain in his eyes, and she reminded herself why she didn't want to be upset at the moment. This wasn't easy on him either. It had been some time since they'd been apart and he hadn't left Cayden before. This was his first time and she knew that he was battling his own feelings…feelings he wouldn't want to show to the other men he'd be travelling with.

"Ya look after him too, ya hear?" Daryl said to Carol. "Take care a' each other."

Carol forced a smile and nodded, not trusting her voice at all, sure that if she tried to speak she would sob and that was the last thing that she wanted to do. She sucked in a breath quickly, hoping to clear her throat a little.

Daryl frowned.

"We ain't gon' be gone long," he said. "Just like a week, an' when we get back we gon' know where we goin'."

Carol nodded again. She understood perfectly well why they were going. She understood perfectly well that what they were going to do needed to be done. This wasn't something she didn't or couldn't understand, it was simply that she didn't want to be without Daryl. It was her own selfish heart that didn't want him to go right now.

Daryl passed her Cayden back and she sucked in another breath, trying to calm herself.

"While I'm gone don't'cha let none a' them bitches rile ya up, an' ya feed the kid when the hell he wants it…an' ya hold him too. He ain't allergic ta fuckin' touch," Daryl said.

Carol nodded, almost feeling like she was getting a lecture from her parents before leaving her alone for the very first time instead of hearing what her husband had to say before he set out on a mission that may or may not be dangerous.

Carol swallowed hard.

"Be careful," she said. "And you come on back to us as quick as you can."

Daryl bit at his lip and nodded his head before smiling, forcing himself to chuckle a little.

"Hell woman, I'm always careful an' I'ma get back just as damn quick as look at'cha," Daryl said.

"Daryl? Glenn?" Brian's voice rang through the prison block. "We're ready to go when you guys are. Sun's coming up…might want to roll out soon."

Daryl turned his head, looking toward the cell door, though nothing was visible there except the blanket they hung for privacy.

"Reckon that's my cue, huh?" He said. "Gotta head on outta here if we wanta have time ta scout an' find a good setup 'fore dark."

Carol nodded again and sighed.

"You need to go," she said. "It's dangerous to be out after dark."

Daryl smiled and stepped forward. He tipped her face up and she closed her eyes when she felt the pads of his thumbs wiping under them. When she opened them again, he was looking at her, his face almost expressionless, but it was still an expression that she recognized.

Daryl dipped his head and Carol kissed him with all that she had, tangling her tongue with his an ignoring the small sob that escaped despite her best efforts to hold it and all its little friends back.

When they broke apart, Daryl rubbed her cheek with his knuckles and smiled at her.

"Do me a favor?" Daryl asked.

Carol nodded a little.

"What?" She asked.

Daryl smiled softly again.

"Try not ta cry too much, OK?" Daryl asked. "I know ya gonna cry…prob'ly just as damn soon as we hit the pavement…but don't do it too much, OK? Don't want Cayden thinkin' he's got nothin' ta worry 'bout."

Carol smiled and nodded her head, taking a breath to control the feelings again.

"OK," she said.

"Promise?" Daryl asked, raising his eyebrows.

"I promise," Carol said. "Don't worry about us, OK? You just worry about you out there and getting back here."

Daryl made a face at her like he was bored with her and she knew he was thinking of teasing her.

"It's my job ta worry 'bout'cha woman," Daryl said. "Ya just stay safe, ya hear?"

"Nine lives," Carol said.

Daryl smirked at the old joke and leaned in, kissing her softly once more before ducking his head to kiss Cayden.

Carol followed him out, one of the woolen coats wrapped over her shoulders to keep both her and Cayden warm for the few minutes they were outside, and watched as Daryl got into the car, casting a glance back toward her before he ducked down and disappeared into the driver seat.

Carol stood and waited until Carl had let the car out of the gate and it had passed out of sight, saying a silent prayer for the safe return of all of them but especially for the safe return of Daryl. When they were gone, and they had been so for at least a few minutes, Carol finally turned to head back inside.

It was only then that she noticed Maggie standing there too, her arms crossed, watching the nothing that remained from them leaving.

"They'll be back soon," Maggie said.

Carol didn't know if it was more for her benefit or for Maggie's, but she nodded and offered the young woman a smile.

"They'll be back," Carol said, her voice stronger than it was before. She figured she would have here good cry…it would surely come…but perhaps it would wait until night when she was alone in her cell and trying to doze between Cayden's demands to be fed. "We've got work to do," Carol said. "That way when they get back we'll have something to show for what's happened here."

Maggie nodded her head a little and reached out, squeezing Carol's neck before wrapping her arm around her and walking back inside the prison with her to get started on everything that had to be done there to start preparing for the great migration.


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: Hi everyone. This is just a little chapter to keep us moving forward. **

**I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think! **

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Daryl followed just behind Glenn up to the door of the house. Wyatt had already lumbered inside. The son of a bitch was stupid, but he was a go getter, Daryl could say that much for him. Despite the fact they were freezing and slow moving because of it, Wyatt had gotten out of the car like he was on fire and gone without caution, plowing his way through the couple of Walkers that they saw and toward the house.

By the time Daryl, and Glenn with most of their stuff, mounted the porch steps, Wyatt was coming back out the door eating Vienna sausages out of a can.

"Where the fuck d'ja get that?" Daryl asked.

Wyatt sucked his fingers and chuckled.

"Outta the cabinet in there. Want some?" He asked, offering the can to Daryl. Daryl shook his head. If the damn kid…and the longer Daryl knew Wyatt, the more he considered him just that…had busted through the house and cleared it of Walkers for the measly can of out of date meat product…he could have it.

When they got inside, they discovered that Wyatt had only had to fight one Walker in the house for his spoils. Daryl got the boy to give him a hand and they made quick work of throwing the half rotted body outside and over the porch while Glenn went for the rest of their supplies.

They weren't as far out from the prison as Daryl had hoped to be with a day's travel. They'd had to stop twice to clear the roads from various obstacles. On the one hand, Daryl knew that clearing the roads would mean easier passage when they came through with their caravan, but on the other it meant that they weren't going to make the time they'd thought they would make, and that meant they'd get back to the prison after a longer absence than they originally planned.

Soon after they'd gotten settled in the house and eaten what they could find mixed with some of what they brought, Wyatt excused himself to one of the upstairs bedrooms to sleep, declaring he was taking full advantage of a real mattress. Daryl and Glenn hunkered down in the living room of the house, not daring to build a fire in the fireplace there for concern of what they might attract.

"We can't bring the group here," Daryl declared. "Ain't even big enough ta pass a night. We'd have ta literally be piled one on top the other."

"Tomorrow we can find something for the group," Glenn agreed, wrapping a blanket he'd found around his shoulders and leaning against the living room wall.

Daryl nodded.

"We gon' move quicker with the group. Got them blocks out the road now. Still, better ta undershoot where the hell we might stay than get stuck on the road with the whole damn bunch after dark," Daryl said.

Glenn sighed.

"You won't hear me complain," he said.

Daryl wrapped himself in one of the blankets to mirror Glenn's actions. He wasn't even going to pretend that he wasn't freezing and that right now he missed the sweltering conditions that Carol kept their cell in. He missed their cell…and he missed Carol and Cayden.

Once his mind started to drift, Daryl actively worked to bring it back to the present. He wasn't going to go all damn soft in front of anyone…even though Glenn might actually be the safest to go soft in front of if one had a mind to do it.

Daryl got the feeling that Glenn wasn't wholly happy about this move. That would just make him one of many, perhaps, but it was still clear that he didn't necessarily think it was the greatest thing ever.

"What's Maggie had ta say 'bout us goin' on?" Daryl asked.

Glenn shrugged a little.

"What's she going to say?" He asked. He shook his head. "I'm just ready for us to have something safe…something sure."

"Ya reckon we gonna find it?" Daryl asked.

Glenn shrugged.

"I don't know if we'll find it…or if we're leaving it," he admitted.

Daryl sucked his teeth. They were leaving the prison because they'd exhausted their resources really. They'd gotten to a point where the prison was no longer going to be able to afford them the lifestyle to which they'd become accustomed…especially if they liked to eat in the future. He liked to dream that they were going to find a place…or build one…where they were set for life, but negativity chewed at his stomach as much as it did at anyone else's. He just tried not to let it come out as much.

"We gon' find it," he said.

Glenn snickered.

"Aren't you at least a little bit doubtful, Daryl? I mean look how long we've been doing this," Glenn said. Daryl didn't respond immediately. He got the sincere feeling that his response wasn't necessary. When Glenn continued speaking after a moment, he knew he was right. Glenn was taking this moment to simply unload his own doubt, which was apparently something everyone needed to do now and again. "You know, Maggie and I…we just want a normal married life. We want to…" Glenn paused. "We want to have kids. We want to have kids and not assume that they're just going to die before they've even started living."

Daryl shrugged a little.

"So have kids," he said. "Ain't no promise no damn way. Might make it an' might not…same's true for all a' us."

"I think we're pretty full on kids right now," Glenn mumbled.

"We got a quota?" Daryl asked.

Glenn shook his head.

"There's Judith and Cayden already," Glenn said. "We're going on the road with them. I don't know if you caught the memo, but Maggie overheard Alice and Michonne's pregnant. That's about as many kids as we need trying to make a life in all this."

Daryl was struck for the moment.

"Michonne's pregnant?" Daryl asked, raising his eyebrows. He would have thought this was information that he would have known…but then again, Glenn had a way of learning things long before anyone else at the prison. He was, after all, their resident gossip.

Glenn nodded at him.

"That's why we had that delightful discussion on how to use condoms," Glenn said. "I think she was going to tell everyone that night but didn't for whatever reason. Besides…I would hate to worry about Maggie like that when we're on the road and open to anything or anyone."

Daryl swallowed, nodding a little.

He had his own concerns, but he tried to swallow them back as best he could. Carol was doing enough worrying for the both of them and he didn't want to do or say anything to her that would add more concern to her already overbearing load.

"It's all gonna work the fuck out," Daryl said finally. "We gon' find us a nice damn place. Ya watch. Then ya can have ya kids…me an' Carol might even have more. Tyreese an' Michonne…hell we'll repopulate the whole damn world."

Glenn laughed and Daryl echoed his chuckle.

"You really think this whole thing isn't going to end up just being one big disaster?" Glenn asked.

Daryl shrugged.

"Ain't no damn way a' knowin', but hell if I'ma get all bunched up like you is. Go ta sleep. We gotta find some place tomorrow or they ain't lettin' us back in when we get back," Daryl responded.

Glenn nodded and chuckled again before moving away from his spot on the wall toward one of the unrolled sleeping bags. Daryl followed suit and blew out the small camping lantern that they had barely illuminating the space.

He didn't know if they were going to find what the hell they were looking for, but they were sure going to try. He liked the idea of a happy little home tucked away in the mountains a hell of a lot more than he liked the bleak picture that it seemed everyone else was trying to paint. It might not be much, but he was holding onto it for what the hell it was worth.

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Carol didn't know if Cayden was unsettled because Daryl wasn't there, or if he was unsettled because she was unsettled. The cell felt, for the first time in some time, like a cell. It felt cold, despite the heater, and lonely and she hated to admit that she'd somehow slipped into becoming one of those women who felt like their world was crashing down around them just because their husband wasn't around.

She'd promised Daryl, though, that she wasn't going to cry about it much and she'd held it together throughout the day. She'd stuck to working. She'd made sure meals were ready, dishes were done, and she'd worked with the others in the storage area to start sorting and rationing what they'd use until they left versus what they'd use while they were here.

No one was in the best of spirits so it seemed that not a soul even noticed that she kept quiet for most of the day. Keeping quiet and keeping focused was how she'd kept control. It had been the only way that she didn't let herself fall into worrying what was happening out there…into wondering if they'd run into any trouble or if they were cold or hungry.

But now she couldn't keep busy and it seemed that Cayden was finally asleep after protesting loudly her insistence that he settle down and rest. Carol considered putting him in his cradle, but she didn't want to.

She shifted around as best she could and settled down in the bed, the baby beside her on the side closest the wall. She hardly ever dared to sleep with him. She was terrified of it, actually. She was terrified that no matter how well she had him braced in he'd roll away. She was terrified that she'd roll on him…or Daryl would and crush him. She was terrified that the blankets would bunch up on him or something would happen and he would suffocate.

The truth was that she didn't even remember being this terrified when Sophia was a baby. When she thought back to those days, her heart ached to remember her daughter, so fragile…so perfect…her world.

When Sophia was born, Carol had felt like everything was right in the world. She could forget everything she went through with Ed…everything he'd done to her…just by looking at her perfect baby girl. As a result, all her fears about Sophia centered on Ed and the fear that the man would hurt the baby.

She'd done everything in her power to keep Ed from even noticing the baby. She remembered that once, when Sophia was sick and wouldn't stop crying no matter what she did, Ed had started to bitch about it and she'd purposely broken something to piss him off…something to draw him away from the girl.

So maybe that's why now she worried about so many things with Cayden. She didn't have to worry about Daryl snapping and hurting the baby. If anything, Daryl was terrified of the baby himself because he seemed to think that he'd accidentally hurt him…and if he ever did hurt him, Carol knew it would be an accident and he'd punish himself far more than any authority ever could have.

But she was still afraid, deep down, that somehow it was all too good to be true. Cayden was too good to be true, just like Sophia had been, really…and somehow she didn't deserve him and something would take him away. She'd discussed the feelings with Melodye, thinking the woman might declare her certifiably insane or something, but Melodye had insisted that her feelings were normal and that she wasn't crazy…though Carol felt crazy at times.

Carol wasn't sleeping, though. She lie there for a bit, snuggled down close enough that she could kiss Cayden's head from time to time and rub her fingertips across his cheeks. He slept, sucking on a pacifier in intervals, balled up in the tight little ball he drew himself into at times, and at others stretching out to his full length, dropping his hands to the side in oblivion.

Carol missed Daryl and not having him in the cell made her feel more alone than she'd felt in ages. She hoped the week they proposed to be gone would pass quickly. She realized that she couldn't sleep well without him there and she worried that she wouldn't sleep at all.

She was still awake when Cayden started to fuss a little, signaling that soon he'd be awake and expecting to be fed again. She had no way of knowing what time it was, but he was a decent little clock that served to at least tell her that it was far later than she needed to be awake.

She woke him a little, changing him just in case, and then offered him a breast to quiet him before he got really stirred up and roused the prison. Everyone was on edge enough as it was with the stress of possibly moving on, and they didn't need to resent her and her baby for waking them up if they had achieved the blessed forgetfulness of a couple hours of sleep.

When Cayden finished eating, he stayed awake in her arms for a little while, and she tried to hush the singing sounds that he was making, afraid they might echo through the stone space. She didn't mind him being awake, though, at least when he was awake she didn't feel so alone.

He finally drifted off, though, and she put him in the cradle this time, knowing that she had to at least try to sleep and knowing that she wouldn't if she didn't know he was safe in his little wooden bed.

Finally she settled down herself, trying to will her nerves to calm enough to let her at least get a few hours before she had to get up and get things going.

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"Can I talk to you?" Michonne asked, walking up to Carol while she was doing the breakfast dishes in the big sink they used for nearly everything.

Carol glanced back over her shoulder at her friend.

"Sure," she said.

It wasn't often that Michonne sought her out to talk. Usually it was the other way around…and many times when she spent an hour here or there with Michonne, there wasn't any talking at all. The woman seemed to have an uncanny ability to communicate without ever saying anything.

Michonne sighed and leaned against the counter where Carol was stacking the dishes as she dried them so that they'd be ready for the next meal.

"Do you need help?" Michonne asked.

"No…almost done," Carol said.

"Cayden?" Michonne asked.

"With Ned," Carol responded. "Ned and Hershel were good babysitters. They were really good babysitters, actually. Judith adored both of the old men and Cayden liked them as long as his stomach was full.

Michonne nodded. Carol glanced at her over her shoulder and wondered if she was working up to something. She noticed that Michonne's eyebrows were knit and figured that this might be a serious conversation. Suddenly her stomach clenched. She had no idea what Michonne might be getting ready to tell her, but she was on edge enough that everything in her body was suddenly screaming that she might hear something that she didn't want to hear.

"What's wrong?" Carol asked, her heart pounding at the sheer possibility.

Michonne looked at her then like she was surprised.

"Is there something wrong?" Carol asked.

Michonne's brow creased worse.

"Are you OK?" Michonne asked.

Carol chuckled then at Michonne's tone of voice. She'd started to work herself up and now it was evident that whatever they were going to talk about wasn't something terrible that she needed to prepare herself for. There wasn't any impending doom, apparently, because now Michonne was treating her like she was crazy.

"Your face…I just thought…" Carol started.

Michonne shook her head. After a second, she sighed.

"I've told Tyreese…Alice knows…I guess that means that Mel knows," Michonne said. "I just thought you should know…I'm pregnant."

Carol felt her stomach flip flop a little. She hadn't been expecting the news, and suddenly she felt for Michonne simply because she knew that it could be difficult to say those words…people around here didn't exactly offer too much comfort at the news of a baby, or at least they hadn't when she'd found out about Cayden. Things might be different for Michonne.

Carol smiled.

"That's great, right?" She asked. She wiped her hands off on the towel and held her arms out to Michonne, offering a hug.

Michonne looked surprised for a moment and then smiled, reaching and hugging Carol.

"I guess…maybe it is," Michonne said.

"Of course it is," Carol said.

She didn't know exactly what to say, but she knew the things that had been said to her…and she knew the things that had been said behind her back. The one thing she could do and she would do was be positive for her friend.

"How far?" Carol asked.

Michonne shrugged and shook her head.

"I don't know," she admitted.

Carol understood that feeling too.

"A couple of weeks…maybe more than a month…maybe two?" Michonne said. "Alice isn't sure yet…she can't tell."

Carol nodded.

"How are you feeling?" Carol asked.

Michonne smiled.

"Honestly?" She asked.

Carol nodded again.

"Absolutely terrified," Michonne said. She laughed and Carol echoed the laugh. Michonne shook her head. "It wasn't exactly planned…"

Carol smiled again.

"Mmmm…I don't know what you mean," she teased. "Cayden was absolutely planned."

Michonne chuckled.

"It's going to work out, though…right? I mean unless…" Michonne sighed. "Unless there's another round of toxic mold."

Carol frowned and put her hand on Michonne's shoulder. She knew what had happened when they'd all gotten sick from the toxic mold that had come in on some items they'd picked up from a warehouse store. She'd gotten sick too, and honestly the only thing that had saved Cayden and not Michonne's baby was probably the fact that Carol had been farther alone…and she'd gotten less sick…and was maybe able to fight it off better than Michonne had been at the time.

"Don't think about that, OK?" Carol said. She shook her head. "Don't think about the bad things. They'll just make it harder to sleep…and you're going to want your sleep."

Michonne chuckled softly and nodded.

Carol knew that the world changing had taken children from Michonne. She'd lost two girls…and Carol knew that the memory of that experience was probably weighing on her friend's mind as well. She wasn't going to bring it up, though. Michonne would know she could talk to her about it when and if she felt like she needed to, since they'd both shared that experience, but Carol wasn't going to focus on any of the negatives here.

"Stay positive, right?" Michonne said after a second. Carol squeezed her arm again and smiled.

"Right. There's no room for us to be negative," Carol said. "We've got Karen and Cynthia for that."

Michonne chuckled and rolled her eyes.

"I can't wait for them to find out," she said. "Do me a favor, though…don't say anything for a while?"

Carol nodded and pretended to lock her lips with an invisible key.

"Your secret's safe with me," she said.

Michonne nodded again and then sighed, starting to walk off.

"I'm going to do watch," Michonne said. "I just wanted you to know."

Carol smiled again.

"Congratulations…" she offered, knowing how much the words had meant to her when she had actually heard them, especially with all the negativity that everyone seemed to be so good at.

"Thanks," Michonne said.

"If you want to talk," Carol said, "you know I'll listen."

Michonne smiled again.

"We might have to take a walk…just the two of us…you know…before we leave," she said.

"We could do that," Carol assured her.

Michonne left the room then and Carol turned back to her dishes. She hoped that everything would work out for Michonne. She could imagine that the woman would be, perhaps, a little afraid of going on the road pregnant…and it would likely throw a monkey wrench into the plans of everyone who looked to Michonne to be one of the front line people for nearly everything…but she hoped that everything would go well.

She smiled to herself thinking that it would be nice…if and when they got where they were going…to know that Cayden would have playmates and friends…other children. She thought it was nice to imagine that there could be a future generation, and that maybe by the time they grew up, the world wouldn't seem so mad anymore.


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: Here we go, another little chapter.**

**I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think! **

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Daryl didn't know where the sudden anger and frustration that was bubbling up inside him had come from exactly, but it had a hold on him that he couldn't get control of. They were staying in an old gym for the night and they'd finally cleared out all the Walkers that they'd put down inside, and now they were bunched around in the center of the basketball court trying not to notice that they were all on the verge of freezing their nuts off.

Daryl thought he might be warmer than either Glenn or Wyatt. He'd at least done some pacing around outside in the name of clearing the area…checking the perimeter…or whatever the hell anyone wanted to call it. What he'd really been doing was trying to blow off some steam and he'd done that by pacing around the building and stabbing any Walker he could find, even whistling at a few in the distance to stir their half frozen asses up enough to get them to come after him.

"Spaghetti-Os?" Glenn asked, offering Daryl a can with a fork sticking out of it. He took it with a huff. "What's eating you?" Glenn asked.

Daryl huffed, eating down some of the contents of the can.

"We said we'd be gone a week but we ain't gon' fuckin' make it back in a week if we left right now, an' we ain't hardly found shit," Daryl growled.

"We've got this gym…and we've got that Bed and Breakfast we cleared a ways back," Glenn said. That's two stops…one more and we've got everything we planned to get on this run."

"Look how damn long it's took us!" Daryl said. "We ain't gettin' ta no fuckin' mountains anytime soon at this rate. Fuckin' snail could outrun us."

Glenn shrugged.

"It'll be quicker with the group. We've cleared the roads…we've cleared the stops. The group doesn't have to stop as frequently as we did. We'll run right through all those places we dropped half a day working. I think we've actually done really good," Glenn said.

Daryl grumbled to himself. They were doing a good bit of clearing the roads. He'd moved more cars and trees in the…what…week maybe…since they'd been gone than he could have imagined. They ended each night staying in whatever the hell space they could find and thought it was great just because they got to rest their tired bodies. They'd cleared two good spaces for the group to pass through to on their trip and those places would, unless there were other people that they didn't know about, be open and ready to go when they got there.

Daryl knew that in reality they were doing exactly what they'd set out to do. They were pioneers in some way, forging a trail for everyone to follow when they set out. They were making sure that it was safe and that they had a plan, and it was something they'd all be thankful for when the caravan rolled out.

What was really bothering him, though, was that in his imagination he'd made all of this take not even a fraction of the time that it had taken in practice. In his imagination they'd already found their third stop, cleared it, and were back to the prison by now. They'd predicted that they'd be back within a week with the first three stops cleared. In reality they'd been gone probably a week by now and they still had one more stop to locate and clear before they could even turn around and head back.

"We're a good two days from the prison," Wyatt offered. "How many miles ya reckon the group's gon' cover a day? Ain't gonna be so bad findin' the mountains."

Daryl huffed again.

"I just miss my fuckin' wife, OK?" He spat, glaring at the two boys…at least that's what he thought of them right now. "An' my fuckin' kid. Cayden's not even gon' know who the hell I am by the time we get our asses back there."

Glenn chuckled but stifled it quickly when Daryl growled at him again.

"I'm sorry," he offered. "I miss Maggie too. At least we know they're not going to have to go through all of this when we do move on. I'd rather know Maggie's safe at the prison right now while we're clearing road blocks in the open than sitting in a car unprotected or worse…trying to help with Walkers all around."

Daryl nodded his head. He wasn't an unreasonable man and he agreed entirely with Glenn's perspective, but it didn't mean that he didn't miss Carol and Cayden. It didn't mean that he wasn't worried that his son wasn't even going to remember him…or that Carol was upset. And they had no way of knowing what was happening. What if something had happened at the prison and they didn't even know? What if they needed them there and they were out here playing Louis and Clark…and Clark the second…and they weren't there to take care of anything?

"Just ready ta get the fuck back," Daryl growled.

Glenn sighed.

"We all are. Let's get some sleep soon so we can hit the road at sun up," Glenn offered.

"I'll take first watch," Daryl said. He got to his feet and shouldered his crossbow, carrying the can of cold and congealed spaghetti with him. There wasn't much to watch for anyway. They'd hardly seen a single damn thing since they were out here. All they'd seen were half frozen Walkers and they were so slow moving that Judith could have outrun them if she'd had half a mind to.

Daryl stepped outside the heavy metal doors of the gym and leaned against the wall in the cold, staring out at the darkness, his ears open to the sound of any nearby Walkers, and hoped that everything was going to be fine if and when they ever got their asses back to the prison.

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"Seriously…" Alice protested, following Carol around while she was trying to finish packing up some of the boxes that they were loading into one of the trucks they knew they were taking with them when they left. "Let me finish all of this and you go and do whatever it is you do to stop Cayden from screaming. I can't even stand to go back in the prison. My fucking eardrums are bleeding."

Cayden hadn't been screaming that long. It had been, at best fifteen minutes, but he was making the best of the show from his crib that he could. Carol had put him in there to nap, but it was time to eat again…and even she could feel that fact…and he was demanding that everything else come to a halt.

Carol sighed, heaving one of the boxes onto the back of the truck. She turned around, facing Alice just as the brunette pushed another of the boxes into the space where Tyreese was waiting to pack them closer to the front since he was in charge of using the most space possible in the semi.

"I feel like I'm hardly even helping," Carol said to Alice. "Every time I put him down to try and help with something…"

She was interrupted when Alice grabbed her by the upper part of the arm and yanked her out of the way. She only realized then that she'd been in the way and everyone coming past them with things needed her to move. She sighed again.

"Every time I try to do something I have to stop because Cayden needs something," Carol said. "I just don't want everyone thinking I'm not trying to get this going too."

"Go, feed the bean," Alice said, rolling her eyes. "You're the one that handled deciding how much we need to scrape by until we leave. You're the one…with the bean attached to you, I might add, that handled all the inventory. You've done more than anyone else. Let us be the workhorses. You've got a baby…a very small and very needy baby…so let that be your first priority. Fuck the rest of it…we've all got to have something to do to kill the time."

Carol sighed, nodded, and cast a glance over her shoulder at those who were working. Feeling guilty she squeezed Alice's arm and went inside the prison, heading directly to the cell where Cayden was calling out for her.

Carol reached into the crib and scooped Cayden up, making her way over to the rocking chair and wrestling out of her shirt while he lie in her lap and screeched.

"You're dramatic," Carol said, moving the baby to the place he wanted to be. He immediately stopped crying, though the pout didn't leave his face even once he was sucking. She wiped the tears off his face and smiled at him. "You really are dramatic…I don't know where you got that from…"

"He comes by it honest," Michonne said.

Carol raised her head, not having realized that Michonne was even around. She hadn't seen her since before breakfast that morning and figured she was either doing perimeter watches or might be somewhere trying to secretly battle morning sickness.

"He has Daryl's angry face," Michonne said, stepping into the cell. "I tried to calm him down earlier and I'm pretty sure he tried to tell me to fuck off."

Carol chuckled.

"He does look like Daryl," Carol said, rubbing her thumb across his cheek. "Are you ready for this?" She said after a moment.

Michonne sighed and shrugged.

"Is it possible to be ready?" She asked.

Carol shook her head.

"I don't know…not anymore," she admitted.

"I don't know if it ever was," Michonne said. "He's got quite the appetite."

Carol nodded.

"Alice thinks he eats a lot because maybe we don't get enough nutrition…maybe my milk isn't as filling as it should be…we don't know. We're like the blind leading the blind right now," Carol said.

Michonne snorted.

"Do you happen to have a copy of how to have a baby in this world that I could read?" Michonne asked.

Carol snickered and shook her head.

"My oldest…" Michonne said, "Anjelica…she was a heavy eater. She wasn't ever overweight, but she ate more than they said she would…or at least more often. She had…" she stopped a moment and chuckled to herself, shaking her head. "Well, you'll understand…she had me so stimulated that if I wasn't around her for more than an hour I was leaking everywhere."

Carol chuckled.

"My cell smells like spoiled milk," Carol admitted. Michonne nodded and made a face.

"How are you feeling with him here?" Michonne asked. "When Angie was a baby I had what I now know was postpartum depression. Back then…I just thought I didn't like my own baby. I mean I loved her…but I didn't like her."

Carol nodded.

"I love him," she said softly. "I do, I love him."

Michonne nodded.

"I didn't think you didn't," she offered.

Carol sighed.

"I just…get worried, you know?" Carol asked.

Michonne sucked her teeth and nodded. She didn't say anything, but Carol didn't really expect her to say anything. Of course she knew…of course she understood. Even if she wasn't pregnant at the moment and staring down the barrel of that gun…she would have been able to sympathize.

Michonne swallowed.

"Tyreese is happy," she said. "He's worried too…he had a daughter, you know?"

Carol shook her head.

"I didn't know that," she said. Michonne nodded.

"Julie," Michonne offered. "She…uh…" Michonne broke off for a moment and shrugged. "When all this happened," she finished.

Carol nodded her understanding. There really wasn't any need for details. None of them liked talking about the details. It was hard enough to face the gist of things. No one wanted to go into the other parts.

"Hey…" Carol said. Michonne jerked her head in her direction, raising her eyebrows quizzically.

"It's going to be fine, right? And when we get to…wherever we're going…the kids will have each other. We can teach them everything they need to know…" Carol offered.

Michonne smiled.

"Yep. They'll have each other," she said. "Who know, there may be more. If past lives are any indication, I was a regular fertile Myrtle between my last two."

Carol chuckled.

"After Sophia was born," she said. "I got so scared. Ed was…well…I just didn't want to risk it so I started taking two birth control pills a day."

She broke off and chuckled.

"My doctor told me that she'd take me off of them if I didn't stop…so I did, but I just didn't want anything to happen," Carol said.

"Do you think you and Daryl would have more?" Michonne asked.

Carol chuckled, switching Cayden's sides and smiling at the way he panted at her during the momentary interval, trying to decide if he should verbally let her know that he wasn't done yet. She shrugged and shook her head.

"I don't think so. I mean…we don't even know that Cayden wasn't one of those menopause babies," Carol said. "Alice thinks it could happen and thinks we should be careful…but it's kind of hard to even think about that when I know we're about to go out there and I've got this little man."

"Yeah, I get it," Michonne said. "I guess I was just talking in the context of this wonderland we're building in our heads. I'm not one for fairy tales, but it does kind of help the nausea a little."

Carol chuckled again.

"Well in that case…" she said. "In the context of the fairy tale…sure. Count us in for fifteen or twenty at least."

Michonne laughed and then walked over to the empty crib that Cayden had been in earlier. She ran her fingers across the bars.

"If you're going all out I expect two baker's dozen then," Michonne said.

"Twenty six?" Carol asked, raising her eyebrows. "Mmmm…that's a steep order, but I guess I can fill it. Just promise me one thing…"

"What?" Michonne asked, a smile creeping across her face.

"You'll shoot me when I'm done," Carol said.

Michonne laughed heartily at that.

"I promise you that if you make it through twenty six babies…and you're still not dead…I'll shoot you if you want me to," Michonne said. She shook her head. "That sounds like a nightmare."

"I know everyone keeps joking about repopulating the Earth," Carol said. "But I never thought about trying to do it single handedly."

Michonne shrugged a little and fumbled with a few of the baby things on Cayden's changing table…the one she'd put together for him.

"We might feel differently about things when we get to this place…if it really is what we want it to be," Michonne said. "Not twenty six kids differently, but differently."

Carol sat there silently for a moment while she burped Cayden and wrestled back into her clothes, keeping first one hand and then the other on her son while he lie in her lap and played with whatever finger he could get ahold of. When she had her clothes back on, she picked him up and kissed him gently and he called out to her with one of the shrieks she considered his conversational shrieks.

"No one else is going to say it," Carol said. "Do you think something's happened to them out there? Do you think that's why they're not back yet?"

She'd been trying to keep her worry to herself and everyone else was focusing on getting everything ready for the big move. At the rate they were going, they'd have everything almost packed up. They could probably be ready to roll out within a few days of the group's return…if they returned. They'd been gone longer than they planned to be gone and Carol was starting to get worried, though she'd kept herself busy enough to avoid full on panic.

She had no idea what any of them would do if the group never came back. Would they stay at the prison or would they move on? Would they go through with the plan to move toward the mountains? What would happen if they stumbled upon something…what if they discovered why the group had never come back?

Given enough time, her mind could come up with a million ways that everything was crumbling down around them all in the absence of the three men. She could come up with a million more reasons they wouldn't make it another day if the group didn't return. Her mind was her own worst enemy at times.

More than the group, though, she had let her mind trail enough to think about herself and to think about Cayden. Her chest tightened if she let herself imagine that Daryl might not return. She didn't want to be without Daryl. Part of her felt like she couldn't live without him…as though somehow their hearts had fused together or something. Sometimes at night…especially with the worry creeping in since they'd realized the planned week was far behind them now…she convinced herself that Daryl was still alive. He had to be because she felt like she'd stop living the moment that he did, no matter how far apart they were.

On the other hand, though, there was Cayden now, and she knew that she had to keep living for him. She had to keep going for him just as long as she possibly could. If something had happened to Daryl…if he never came back…that would be terrible enough for her son, but it would be even worse to lose them both and to end up an orphan in this world. The others would look out for him, and she had no doubt that they would love him, but for all the love that they could give him it would never be the love that she had for him…the love that Daryl had for him. So she'd have to keep going for Cayden.

"They might have run into trouble," Michonne said. "Or they might have just gotten sidetracked. We don't know what they've had to do. It could just be more of a time drain than they thought. They could still make it back. Why? Are you worried?"

"Of course," Carol admitted.

Michonne sighed.

"Wyatt seems pretty able bodied…dumb as a box of rocks…but able bodied," Michonne offered.

Carol snickered. The boy wasn't bright and she suspected that maybe he never had been. Perhaps it had been something he was born with. He was good at the things that you taught him with patience though. He had the patience of a saint too, and he had a good heart. He also happened to be at least a foot taller than the average man, if not two, and was about that much wider than the average man. He was as strong as an ox…though he didn't realize it. So much, in fact, that Carol was very careful to sit with him and help him when he wanted to hold Cayden, just so he didn't underestimate his own strength and accidentally hurt the baby.

"And Glenn?" Michonne said. "Glenn's good. He's fast and he's smart…he's one of the best to send out on a mission like this."

Carol nodded her head.

"And Daryl?" Michonne added. She sighed. "If anybody's making it out there, it's Daryl. And he's coming back. He loves you and he loves that little boy enough that he's coming back for that reason alone."

Michonne took in a deep breath and held it a moment before letting it out and crossing the cell back over to where Carol was, resting her hand on Carol's shoulder.

"They're going to be back," Michonne said. "They just got caught up…but they'll be back."

Carol nodded and when Michonne reached down to offer a finger to Cayden, Carol passed the baby to her, watching as Michonne nuzzled him, smelling the side of his face.

She hoped Michonne was right and that they'd be back soon…tonight would be great for her. She was ready to see them all. She was ready to know that they'd found something at least, and if they were leaving she was ready for them to go ahead and get things going. But most of all, she was ready to see Daryl, to wrap her arms around him, and she was ready to know that he was fine and that whatever they were doing from here, they were doing it together.


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: OK, I'm getting this one out here kind of late, but it'll be waiting on you when you want to read it…thought you might need it since tonight's episode is supposed to be all Gov. **

**I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think! **

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Daryl never thought he'd be so damn happy to see a prison in his life, but as the building appeared in front of them, he was almost squirming with the desire to get out of the vehicle and run toward it, convinced his feet could get him there even faster than the car. They'd been gone too damn long and he hoped that everyone hadn't given up hope on them.

As they were nearing it, he could tell from the distance that the group they'd left behind had been hard at work. There was a semi pulled to the lower part of the yard and parked, the one they'd discussing preparing for Alice to do her damnedest to drive through the mountains and transport as much of the supplies that they had as was possible.

It was also obvious, from the distance, that they'd started with other preparations, and Daryl wondered exactly how long their homecoming at the prison would last before it was time to turn right back around and head out.

He didn't mind, though, the thought of heading right back down the road he'd just travelled as long as he knew that he had Carol and Cayden with him. He was feeling more confident about the move than he had before. They'd been out there and there really wasn't that much excitement to speak of. He'd been right about the frozen ass Walkers and he didn't see them being any kind of threat.

They hadn't seen any people either. Really they hadn't even seen any sign of people at all except maybe the sign that one or two had passed through the area some time ago. There was little indication of recent activity.

For all they knew, their little unit could be the last parcel of people alive.

When they neared the gates, Carl was waiting down there to let them in. He was grinning from ear to ear at them and Daryl realized that perhaps the group had...if they hadn't counted them all up for dead exactly…begun to lose hope that they were coming back.

Of course who could blame them when they'd been gone for twice as long as they said they'd be gone and they'd been without any way to communicate that things had simply taken more time than they'd imagined.

Instead, the natural thing to do would be to assume that something had happened. Walkers had happened…other people had happened…nature had happened. The natural train of thought would be that they weren't coming back.

Daryl's heart sunk a little despite the smile he put on at Carl's obvious excitement as they pulled past him toward the prison. In the rearview mirror he watched briefly as the boy…who would soon be a man, no doubt, masterfully handled the slow moving Walkers that might consider trying to fit through the space after the car.

Daryl worried, then, what Carol might think…what she might have thought. Had she thought he died? What would that have done to her?

Daryl drove through the yard a little faster than he normally would and brought the car to a somewhat sliding stop close to the prison. No one was outside…not at first…until they came spilling out the prison.

Daryl jumped out of the car as quickly as he could, ignoring the questions that everyone was trying to ask him…ignoring Rick's voice like a gnat in his ear. He didn't see Carol and his stomach dropped. They'd been gone so long. What if something had happened here? What if something had happened to Carol and he hadn't even been here for her.

Daryl found himself sliding as fast into panic as if he were going down a water slide and there was nothing he could do about it. There was no way that he could control what was happening to him or the tightening in his chest.

Finally, though, following the others that he was ignoring, and slipping out the prison door, a look of confusion on her face, was Carol.

Daryl froze in place for a moment, his heart and lungs still not functioning properly. She was standing there, the look on her face showing that she probably had at least somewhat expected that he might not be back. But she was fine…she was fine and she was right there and he _was_ back.

Unaware of the reunions taking place around him, Daryl rushed forward then and Carol, her face immediately transformed by tears she wasn't even trying to hide, rushed at him. Daryl wrapped his arms around her and heaved her up without even thinking about it.

She was sobbing and laughing all at the same time, her arms wrapped tight around his neck, and she pressed her face into the crook of his neck.

"I was so scared you weren't coming back…" she breathed into his ear. He held her close to him a moment longer before finally letting her feet touch the ground and leaning to put his forehead against hers.

"I'm always comin' back," he said. "Jesus…I was scared somethin' happened ta ya while I was gone…"

Carol was crying and her chest was heaving, but Daryl realized his was doing the same. The two of them were lost in the cloud of mist rising up from their breath fogging in the cold.

Daryl brought his lips down on Carol's and she met the kiss, her arms wrapping around him again. He didn't care who got an eyeful of it and he didn't care what the hell anyone else was doing. They could do cave paintings of the moment for all he cared.

Daryl pulled away from the kiss a moment, his stomach rolling again.

"Where's Cayden?" He asked, realizing that Carol was empty handed. "Where the hell is he?"

Carol smiled her warm and comforting smile at him, tears still on her cheeks and in her eyes, and squeezed the upper parts of his arms.

"Calm down, Daryl…he's fine," Carol said. "He's inside. He's been keeping Ned company. How was the trip?"

"What?" Daryl asked. It took him a moment to even remember that they'd been on a trip or why they'd gone. His brain had almost left reality entirely for a moment when he'd imagined that something had happened to Cayden. He pushed around Carol then, suddenly, catching her by the arm and starting inside the prison.

He didn't need to worry with everyone else outside. Wyatt was out there…Glenn was out there…they could be responsible for telling everyone that they'd worked out the first four stops and that if nothing happened…if everything went according to their plan, they could very well be halfway to where they were thinking about going in four or five days' time…maybe further…it had been hard to judge without maps or any real knowledge of neither their starting point nor where they hoped to end.

"Where is he?" Daryl asked, stepping into the warmth of the prison and shivering from the contrast of the outside.

"Ned's cell…" Carol called from behind him, her wrist caught in his hand as he tugged her with him. "How did the trip go? What happened out there?"

Daryl could hear Cayden singing. The content gurgling and shrieking sounds he made when there was nothing wrong with him but he was testing out the abilities he had to produce noise. He rushed toward the cell, finally dropping Carol's wrist, and when he got there he found Ned sitting in the little chair he tended to occupy, beside the small table that had probably once been some kid of food tray, Cayden caught up in his arms.

"Lemme see him," Daryl said, reaching out for the baby. Ned looked at him, somewhat surprised it seemed, to see him standing there, and passed him the baby along with a smile.

"Well…welcome back, boy!" Ned said. "Cayden was just telling me stories 'bout you."

The old man chuckled and Daryl offered him a slight smile as acknowledgement for his joke, quickly bringing his son into his arms. He was bigger…at least a little…and heavier. He had filled out some from the bean pole appearance he'd had.

Cayden panted at him, starting to make a noise like he might cry and Daryl tried to rock him a little, his heart clenching at the thought that he'd been right. He'd been gone maybe two weeks…maybe even three…they didn't know how long really…and his son wasn't even going to remember him.

Daryl turned around and came out of Ned's cell, still cradling Cayden and hoping the baby's panting and scrunched up face faded.

"What's wrong, Daryl?" Carol asked.

He looked at her.

"He's thinkin' he wants ta cry," Daryl said. "He don't even 'member me."

Carol smiled softly at him and walked over.

"I'm not sure that's the case," Carol said. "You're making a worried face…"

Daryl looked back at his son who wasn't panting anymore, but now he was searching out Carol's voice.

"So?" Daryl asked.

Carol smiled again.

"So it's scary," she said. "If you're making a face like that, he doesn't know what it means…he also might be hungry and Ned doesn't always change him right when he needs it."

Daryl sighed and chuckled at her.

"Damn I missed hearin' ya say shit like that," he said.

Carol chuckled.

"See," she said, leaning against him and rubbing at Cayden who had settle down now, "he's already better. That's all it was. You just surprised him. He's all about slow and easy and nice and quiet. That's why Ned's just his speed."

Carol leaned a little into Ned's cell where the old man was sitting calmly and watching the whole thing.

"Isn't that right, Ed?" Carol asked. "Cayden's just your speed?"

Ned chuckled.

"Might be a lil' too quick for me, but we get on alright," Ned replied.

Carol laughed and turned around and Daryl felt his heart pound at the sight of her. Every day since he'd been gone her face had been right there in his mind. He'd fallen asleep with it just beyond his eyelids whenever he snatched a couple of hours here and there when he wasn't on watch. And yet, not matter how much he'd thought about it or how burned into his memory it seemed it was, her face was never as pretty in his mind as it was when he saw her for real…especially smiling like she was right now.

"What?" Carol asked him, the smile beginning to fade just a little. She cocked one eyebrow at him, the way she always did when she was feeling a little playful…a little like teasing him. He smiled at her.

"Just thinkin' ya was pretty is all…" Daryl said, keeping his voice low.

Carol smiled again and reached over squeezing his arm.

"You have been gone a long time," she said. "Trip must have affected your vision."

Daryl shook his head and narrowed his eyes at her before turning his attention back to Cayden who was watching him with some concern.

"D'ja take care a' ya Ma while I was gone or was she the one doin' most the carin'?" Daryl asked the baby who, of course, didn't respond.

"I've got a couple of things to do real quick, Daryl," Carol said. "Do you think you could change him for me? And then I'll meet you?"

Daryl nodded at her.

"What if he gets hungry?" Daryl asked. He didn't know if his son was the same bottomless pit that he'd once been.

"I won't take long," Carol said. "His pacifiers are in his cell. That should hold him just long enough."

"Ya wanta eat in our cell?" Daryl asked.

The two of them, once upon a time, had almost been famous for eating in their cell. It had been the only way that Carol would eat when he'd gotten her back from the Governor, and since then it had been one of their rituals for a little escape together. And right now, Daryl was feeling like he could use an escape with her.

Carol smiled again and nodded.

"We can eat in the cell," Carol said. "You go on…I'll be there in a minute."

Daryl leaned and kissed her quickly and she returned the kiss softly before starting back out the prison to where most of the people were located, no doubt gathering news on the scouting trip, and Daryl turned to take his son to be changed. At least, if Cayden didn't remember him, the baby wasn't protesting going with him…he might have a chance to win him back over yet.

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They'd eaten dinner and Daryl had offered to take the dishes back to the main part of the prison where Karen and Cynthia were taking over for the night making sure that things were cleaned up. Carol was on the bed with Cayden and the baby was teetering between finishing the meal that would hold him over for part of the night and drifting off to the sleep that was waiting for him.

Carol hadn't wanted to admit that she'd been sure that Daryl was never coming back, but it was the truth. They'd lost count of how long they'd been gone. Everyone had sort of silently resolved themselves to believing that the group would never return.

They'd been ready to go for at least a couple of days. Everything they were taking besides their most personal belongings and the animals had been packed up already. They were living off the scanty resources she'd put aside to hold them over until the move and everyone was eyeing the supplies daily and silently wondering if they'd dig more out that they'd packed and wait longer for the people that might never come back…or if they'd just accept that something had more than likely happened and gone on.

And every night Carol had prayed that they wouldn't leave. She'd prayed that the feeling in the pit of her stomach…the feeling she didn't even believe…that Daryl was alive and he was coming back for them…was the truth and not just wishful thinking on her part. She'd prayed they wouldn't move on for him to come back to the prison and find them all gone…vanished without a trace.

She was thanking God now, something she'd done a lot more lately than she felt she had when this whole world had gone insane, that he'd given her one more blessing and brought Daryl back safely.

Her little family was back together. They were all safe for now…and they were all together.

Carol burped the baby who had lost interest in what was left of his meal and tipped him back into her arms, finding his pacifier and offering it to him as he snuggled into her, ready to sleep. She waited until Daryl came back in the cell.

"He's out," she said, "but I thought you might want to steal a little love from him before I put him down."

Daryl leaned down and nuzzled the baby's face and the baby stirred a little. Daryl brought his face up and caught Carol's lips in a kiss and she returned it, smiling at him as he broke away.

"You're scruffy," she said.

Daryl moved and started to strip out of his clothes as she settled the sleeping baby in his cradle.

"Hell, I always been scruffy," Daryl growled.

"You're scruffier," Carol responded. "You should shave tomorrow…start clean for the trip."

Daryl sucked his teeth.

"If that's what'cha want," he said. He came back toward the bed to get in and pushed Carol back as he went, purposely rubbing his chin against her cheek. She giggled at him, knowing that's what he was going for.

"Stop…you're going to give me a burn," she said, keeping her voice low enough so as to not wake Cayden, thought the boy, much like Judith, had been raised to sleep through a good deal of noise.

Daryl sighed and kissed her again, rolling to his side of the bed and getting under the cover. Carol stood up and stripped entirely out of her clothes. Daryl watched her, wide eyed, a crooked smile on his face.

She'd been worried that he wouldn't want her when he saw her naked. She'd been worried that he wouldn't be interested in her now that he could see the havoc that Cayden had wrecked on a body that she'd always considered far less than perfect and even more so now. But she'd decided to get it over with all at once. She didn't have the nerve to prolong it and what was going to happen was going to happen…whether it was acceptance or rejection or something in between.

She smiled, though, when Daryl lifted the covers at her, the half smile still plastered on his face.

"Ya tryin' ta give me a fuckin' heart attack," he growled in her ear when she settled into the bed.

Carol turned and looked at him, his face inches from hers. She loved everything about him…and while he'd been gone she'd fallen more in love with him if it was possible. It was true what they said. Absence makes the heart grow fonder…and perhaps it's only because you have the chance to miss someone…the chance to know what them not being there will do to your life.

Carol leaned up and kissed him.

"Alice cleared us for active duty," Carol said.

Daryl grinned at her.

"Really?" He asked.

"Mmmmhhmmm," she hummed at him. "Just be gentle…OK?"

Daryl responded by kissing her face and working his way slowly down her neck. She closed her eyes and held her head back, swimming for a moment in the pleasure of his teeth, tongue, and lips on her collar bones and on her shoulders.

He dipped his head and paid careful attention to her breasts, sucking them into his mouth and rolling his tongue around her nipples.

He broke away after a moment, snickering.

"What?" Carol panted, unable to calm her own breathing.

"Is it bad if I got me a mouthful a' milk?" Daryl asked.

Carol snickered.

"It's not bad…unless you don't like it," she said.

"Just don't wanna rob the bean," Daryl said.

Carol pulled his face back to her and kissed him deeply, tasting the residue flavor of the sweet milk on his tongue. When they broke apart she smiled.

"I'll make more…he won't go hungry," she said.

Daryl kissed her lips again softly and dove back down to the position that he'd held before. Carol gave herself over to him, her mind swimming with all the feelings that she had rolling around inside it. The things that Daryl did to her body as he made love to her that night had her mind reeling…but more than the actual touches, more than the feeling of him inside her after what felt like so long, what amazed her most was how gentle he was.

It always amazed her how gentle he could be when he wanted to be. She'd always heard of people making love…but she'd always thought it was just another cliché or another set of pretty words for sex. It wasn't until Daryl that she really realized what making love meant.

And when they were done, both exhausted and exhilarated at the same time, Daryl wrapped her in his arms and teasing drug the scruff of his chin up and down her arm. She didn't protest, she just intwined her fingers with his.

"Didn't hurt'cha?" He asked, kissing the spot where he'd scrubbed his chin on her.

"No…" she said. "It was perfect…did you like it?"

She almost held her breath, afraid that he wasn't going to like it, afraid that having Cayden would make it different for him, and not in a good way.

"Always do, woman," Daryl said, kissing the spot he'd kissed before.

Carol turned enough so that she could bring their lips back together and enjoyed the lazy kiss she shared with him before she sighed, releasing him.

"So having Cayden…didn't make you not want me?" Carol asked.

Daryl looked at her a minute, narrowing his eyes and then chuckled softly.

"Ain't nothin' in this big damn world could make me not want'cha," he said. "I love ya…don't reckon that shit's gon' change no damn time soon."

Carol smiled at him and kissed him again.

"I'm glad you're back," Carol said. "I love you too…and I'm glad you're back."

"I'm back," Daryl said. He squeezed her. "An' the next damn time I go…you an' the bean…ya goin' with me. Where the hell we go, we goin' together."


	15. Chapter 15

**AN: OK, so it's been a while since I've updated here and I'm kind of trying to work out on getting my rhythm going. I have the story line planned out a good deal, but I have to find my rhythm for it. **

**I did want to try to get something out here to get going/keep going. It hasn't been easy since I'm on vacation and therefore the background to my writing is a television that's blaring as though this were a movie theater…but I've done the best I could. I hope it's OK! **

**I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think! **

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Daryl was pretty sure that everything was as ready to go as it was going to get. Carol, Michonne, and Maggie were in the back of the vehicle he'd be driving with Cayden and Judith. Everyone else was already loaded up in the other vehicles they'd be taking except for Rick, Glenn, Alice, and Daryl who were going about and doing final checks.

"So you're going last?" Daryl asked Alice. She was attempting to take a semi up to wherever they were going that was loaded with most of the extra stuff that they had to carry. Ned would be driving a truck with the livestock carrier on it, and behind him Wyatt was driving a similar rig with the animals that didn't fit in Ned's rig.

Alice nodded.

"I'm not a professional trucker," Alice admitted. "If I lose control of the truck I don't want to take anyone else out…so I'll tag back a little."

Daryl nodded.

"Just don't get too damn far behind," he said. "We'll keep an eye out for ya an' ya honk if ya get into trouble."

"Will do…see you assholes at the first stop," Alice said.

She trotted away from them and toward the truck where Melodye was already in the cab and waiting on her.

"We leadin'," Daryl said to Rick. "We'll keep an eye out an' we ain't goin' too fast…tryin' ta make that first stop we cleared by night fall, though."

Rick nodded.

"Let's go…" he said.

Daryl got into the vehicle with Glenn climbing into the passenger side. In the back, the three women were piled together and wrapped up with blankets so they could avoid running the heat and putting any strain on the cars that might make reaching their destination more difficult.

"All set?" Daryl asked, cranking the car.

Nothing came from the back more than a few mumbles. No one was in high spirits. They'd all finished the packing before the sun came up and now it was just barely showing over the horizon.

Daryl glanced back at the prison for the last time and pulled through the gates, hoping that the trip went as good as he hoped it would.

They hadn't been on the road thirty minutes before he heard a groan from the back and moving around.

"What's goin' on?" Daryl asked, glancing in the rearview mirror but not making out much. Glenn turned around in his seat to observe the backseat better.

"Nothing…" Carol said. "Michonne's sick."

"She's gonna hurl? Are you going to hurl?" Glenn asked.

Glenn looked at Daryl.

"If she pukes it's going to smell like puke in here and I'm going to be sick," Glenn groaned.

Daryl shook his head.

"Don't puke…'Chonne…" Daryl called. He glanced in the rearview mirror and caught a quick view of Carol, trying to get Michonne to rest her head on her shoulder.

"Close your eyes," Carol said, "you'll feel better…we don't have anything to help settle her stomach..."

Daryl gnawed his lip and glanced in the rearview mirror again…it was going to be a long drive if Michonne was on the verge of hurling the whole way.

Michonne didn't hurl, though. She groaned, and Carol talked to her, but there was no actual hurling and Daryl was thankful for that.

But then Cayden woke up from whatever nap he was grabbing and there was a good deal of fuss while Carol maneuvered around, disturbing Michonne, to change his diaper as quickly as possible and try to convince him to eat, though he wasn't entirely sure that he wanted any of the milk she was trying to offer him so he alternated between sucking and whining every couple of minutes for at least ten minutes before he decided he had a distinct interest in the milk.

"He OK?" Daryl asked. "Y'all warm enough?"

"We're fine," Carol said.

"How did we get put in the kid car?" Maggie asked, dealing with Judith who was apparently starting to get annoyed with her time in the car.

"Birth control," Carol said bluntly.

To drive the point home, as though they might not be sure what Carol was talking about, Michonne showed them all exactly why Carol had insisted that they bring the trash can with them.

Daryl glanced over at Glenn, who had taken on slightly green hue, and realized this was going to be one long ass trip.

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The first stop they'd cleared out and had more or less secure was an old gym. It wasn't the most comfortable possible location for the group, certainly not something like a Holiday Inn, but Daryl was relieved to see that when he went in to secure the place with Glenn and Tyreese…while the others started unloading what they would need for the night and trying to care for the animals as best they could in their current conditions.

Once the place was cleared and the others started moving inside, Daryl got his passengers out of the back of the car and escorted them inside, trying his best to keep them all from possibly suffering from something unexpected.

But everything went smoothly and they all got inside quickly. There would be no hot meals…and there wouldn't be unless they found somewhere along the way where it seemed a fire would be something safe to risk both in relation to Walkers and in relation to the relative safety of the space.

After a dinner of random canned goods, aged jerky, and crackers hard enough to be considered hard tack, everyone made their pallets as best they could and settled down for the night.

Daryl found Carol in one of the corners, where she typically made their pallets when they'd travelled before, and he settled down next to where she was sitting, feeding Cayden.

"He ain't eat supper yet?" Daryl asked.

He was trying to ignore the deep set frown that Carol was wearing…the same deep set frown that everyone was wearing. The faces of everyone could only be described as glum at best.

"He ate," she said softly. "Just topping him off…maybe he'll sleep some…I'm sorry he was crying so much in the car."

Daryl shifted closer to her, resting a hand on her leg.

"Ain't nothin' but a thing…long as we in the car it don't hurt nothin'. Reckon the worst part a' our trip's gonna be Michonne if she don't stop gettin' sick," Daryl said, keeping his voice low.

"She's pregnant," Carol said. "It's morning sickness and there's nothing she can do about it…she's not complaining and she's the one suffering…I wish Glenn and Maggie didn't complain so much about it."

Daryl frowned. He realized there was very little that Michonne could do about her current situation. It was what it was and she would feel better when it was time for her to feel better. Until then, they'd just have to suffer through it. Carol had already told him all about it…even though she hadn't been sick like that with Cayden, apparently it was something that happened quite often.

"I'll talk ta both of 'em tomorrow," Daryl said.

Carol burped Cayden and Daryl reached his arms toward her.

"He up for a few minutes?" Daryl asked.

Carol nodded and passed him the baby. He felt like he hadn't seen his son all day. When they were in the car, he was driving and then when they'd stopped here and there along the way, Carol had worn him close to her chest and inside her clothes so that he would be warm and protected if anything should happen.

But luckily nothing had happened and they'd made their first stop with time to spare. Daryl felt good about it and he felt good that they'd make their general location in less than three weeks if they continued like this…then they could begin to build their lives. And he hoped they'd build a real life…something they wouldn't have to leave behind again.

Around them was the din of muffled voices and the sounds of everyone reaching the end of their day. Judith was giving Rick hell about not wanting to settle down in the floppy folding crib thing that they'd brought to keep her under control at night.

Cayden was cooing at Daryl and Daryl made faces at him, nuzzling him with his nose from time to time.

Carol shifted around, lying on the blanket beside Daryl and trying to get comfortable…if you could really get comfortable with a gym floor under you and padded only by a thin folded blanket.

"You just sore 'cause we had ta leave the prison, or did I do somethin' wrong?" Daryl asked, keeping his voice low.

Carol rolled slightly and smiled at him, reaching over and patting at him.

"I'm not mad," she said. "I just…"

She paused and Daryl figured, especially from the look of Cayden who wasn't ready to sleep yet, that he had time to wait her out.

"The prison felt safe…and it was our home," Carol said.

"Was a prison," Daryl said. "We gon' find somethin' way better."

"I know…" Carol said, though her voice didn't entirely mirror what she was saying. "It's just that's where Cayden was conceived…it's where we…it's where we fell in love it's where everything happened."

Daryl smiled at her and moved one hand and squeezed her arm.

"Was where Cayden was borned, but I reckon we picked him up in the woods…an' the prison weren't where the hell I fell in love with you," Daryl said. "Was just where ya got me ta admit that shit, but I knowed it before we even got there."

Carol smiled and rolled over, curling somewhat around Daryl's legs.

"Just a prison…" Daryl said. "We gon' find us a real home, though…in a couple a' weeks we gon' be there an' we gon' all get it set up. That'll be our home."

Carol smiled at him, looking much lighter than she had even a few moments before.

"Somewhere where Cayden can grow up," Carol said.

Daryl nodded and moved his hand to rub at his son's face, smiling at the myriad of expressions that the baby had to offer him, almost like he was catching up on the entire missed day.

"Somewhere he can grow up…an' we gon' have him a lil' brother ta play with…" Daryl said.

Carol smiled.

"Michonne and Tyreese's baby will be his friend…if it's a girl…he might end up loving her or Judith," Carol said. She sighed. "If it's safe…they could really end up growing up there…really living there."

Daryl nodded.

"That's the plan, woman. A place ta really live," Daryl said.

Carol sighed again.

"And they won't know what it's like to be on the road…running from…everything," Carol said.

"No more runnin'," Daryl said. "We just gotta make it there."

Daryl felt Carol shiver next to him and he looked around. They didn't have extra blankets, though. Everything they had, they had brought in earlier and divided among all the members of the group.

"Ya got his bed fixed up for him?" Daryl asked, looking around and trying to figure out where Carol might be planning on putting Cayden down for the night.

"He needs his diaper changed," Carol said. "And I've got some blankets folded up over here. I thought we could put him between us…so it's warmer. We've just got to be careful."

Daryl turned his attention to burrowing one handed through the bag of things that Carol brought in that was full of Cayden's items. He came out with one of the cloth diapers and one of the rags he could dampen with water.

Unfortunately, it was cold, and Cayden was unhappy with having his bottom cleaned up with the cold water. He started howling to beat the band and that woke Judith up clean across the gym. When Daryl heard her start to howl and heard Rick spit something that was most likely an obscenity, Daryl growled a sorry and heard Carol chuckle softly beside him.

"We gettin' our own damn place…" Daryl said. "Whenever we get there we gettin' our own damn place an' ya can count on it."

Carol chuckled again and sat up, offering to try to soothe Cayden from his trauma. Daryl passed her the baby and watched as she hummed and rocked him until he calmed down, starting to look sleepy.

"Pacifier?" Carol asked.

Daryl dug one out of the bag, having taken all of them and dumped every single one he could find into the bag, and offered it to Carol. She gave it to the baby and continued her humming and cooing.

"I really like the idea of our own place…" Carol said. She smiled at Daryl and he thought it was the first really genuine smile he'd seen out of her all day.

"Yeah?" He asked.

She nodded.

"It doesn't have to be big or anything," Carol said.

"Nah…" Daryl said. "Just big enough for us all ta live an' not be right up under each other."

Carol put Cayden down finally on the blankets she piled between them and she lie down next to him, carefully picking the cover back so that it wouldn't get in his face. Daryl wondered if she'd actually sleep at all or if she'd spend the whole night worrying about the baby.

It didn't really matter, though, if the next day went like this one had…and he hoped that all the days were simply boring repeats of each other where nothing worth mentioning happened in any of the cars…because Carol could just sleep curled up with Michonne in the back while they drove.

Daryl settled down, his hand resting lightly on the blanket on top of Cayden and he yawned. Carol yawned, mirroring his action, and then she smiled at him.

"Get some sleep," Carol said. "You've got to drive tomorrow…I'll keep watch out for the Bean."

Daryl smiled.

"Ya try ta snag a lil' sleep too, woman," Daryl said.

Carol reached over and rubbed her hand across his face and he caught her wrist in his hand and moved it so that he could kiss her fingers.

"Love ya," he whispered.

Carol smiled.

"I love you too," she whispered.

Daryl lie still while Carol moved enough to blow out the small lantern that was burning near them and then he listened in the darkness while she settled down. By the time he fell asleep he could hear Cayden's soft breathing and the sound of him sucking, every now and again, in his sleep. He knew that Carol wasn't asleep…but she hopefully soon would be…and before too long they wouldn't be sleeping on gym floors…soon they'd be sleeping in their own home. They just had to get there.

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**AN: So we're on the road now…I'm considering doing a time jump thing for the road trip…hit some high notes, but not drag things out. We'll see where the muse goes when the muse lets me really get on this story. **


	16. Chapter 16

**AN: OK, I have another chapter here for you, and it's likely to be all I get out for the night (and maybe all day tomorrow). **

**There's a time jump here. We're about to get into a different part of our story, so this is sort of the "introduction" to that. I decided not to stretch out the travel, so I condensed it here and am leaving much of it to your imagination. **

**I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think! **

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It seemed, just like with the scouting expedition, that the trip to wherever it was that they were going took longer than any of them had foreseen. Daryl wasn't sure if it was because they didn't know exactly where they were going, and therefore it was difficult to know when they'd arrived, or if it was simply a case of being overly confident that they could make this trip in less time than was actually possible.

As a result, they'd been travelling a month at least. Their travel speed was low and their travel time was short due to the need to keep the group together, the need to allow for stops when absolutely necessary, and the need to be safe and sound in whatever stopping place they were holding up for the night.

The last leg of their journey had been particularly slow due to the fact that Daryl, Glenn, and Wyatt had only scouted out places to stop for so far along the route they were taking, and once they'd reached the end of those locations they'd made the choice to continue on together, rather than leaving everyone in a barn for however long it would take them to scout farther down the line. This meant that they had to stop earlier than they might have before simply to allow time to locate a place that was suitable to stay and make sure that it was cleaned out.

And the dragging on of the trip was dragging morale down quickly. Even Daryl had stopped believing his own promises that they would find a place very soon.

The cold was worse than before, and the farther up the mountains they got, the more snow and ice they were met with. Conditions were worsening.

Along the way they'd let many of the animals go. Once, when they felt it was safe enough to stop and build a fire for cooking and one for heating water, everyone got as much rabbit as they could eat and a good bath. Then they'd released the rest of the rabbits and most of the animals that were at risk of dying from the exposure of the trip and gone on. Now they were left with the two mules, the one dairy cow that was on her last leg, and a nanny goat that didn't seem phased by much of anything and therefore was holding strong despite the cold and the less than desirable travel conditions she was subjected to.

The people were in low spirits…and that was pretty universal…but they were all alive and the cold hadn't claimed any of them. Daryl thought they might be lucky enough to make it to their destination, wherever that might be, with everyone alive if they could find somewhere soon.

They'd left the main roads some time back due to the fact that they were cluttered and impassible because of what had apparently been a monumental wreck and a traffic back up that had trapped a small pack of Walkers that wandered, half-starved and half frozen, in the small space between cars to which they were doomed to spend all the time that a Walker's life might last.

And now they were on twisting and turning back roads in the mountains, with no idea really of where they were or where they were going. Daryl figured they'd have to stop soon, out of necessity if nothing more. Fuel was less and less available without scouting, and scouting was difficult with the entire group in tow.

Daryl knew he was travelling a little faster than he should have been, under the current icy conditions, but he was driven with an almost uncontrollable need to make better time than they were making and so he naturally ended up more heavy footed than he'd even intended to be…a characteristic which led the others to travel quicker than they might have been comfortable with at other times.

When Daryl hit a patch of ice that he didn't expect to sling the car the way it did, and he heard the screams and consequently the following howls of both Cayden and Judith from the back seat, it reminded him that he needed to be careful. He got the car under control, his heart pounding in his chest, and eased slowly forward, knowing the ice would catch those behind him.

"Shit…" he cursed as he realized everyone behind him was moving along at the speed that he'd set and would hit the ice that he hadn't seen with the same velocity.

He sped the car up then, trying to get out of the way.

"What are you doing?" Glenn asked.

"They comin' an' they gon' spin out if they ain't lucky," Daryl said, glancing in the rearview mirror and seeing the caravan behind him moving in his direction. "Gotta get out the way so they don't slam into us…"

Daryl kept going, his speed increasing slightly with the need to give everyone else somewhere to escape to should they spin out and get control like he had. He heard, since he'd lost sight of them seconds before, squealing tires and the sound of surging engines behind him, but it wasn't until a moment later that he saw the vehicle Rick was driving appear…powering through.

"Fuck!" Daryl spat suddenly. "Alice!"

Everyone in the vehicle turned at once to look behind them, out the rear window, as though they could see anything. Alice, just like she promised, was no seasoned trucker. She could handle the rig well enough, but since they'd left the main roads and gotten into some of the more difficult and winding roads, she'd had more and more trouble pulling the semi up behind the chain.

Daryl went forward and pulled off the road where he thought it was safe and where he thought he might have a chance of getting the car back out of its temporary parking space. He turned it off and opened the driver's side door, stepping out just enough to listen and observe all that was happening around him in the winter landscape.

The sound of engines coming from the caravan was what he could hear the most clearly. Rick pulled his car up near where Daryl had stopped and parked it, opening the door and getting out, shooting a questioning look at Daryl.

"D'ja hit that ice?" Daryl asked.

Rick nodded.

"Fishtailed," Rick said.

Daryl nodded his head slightly in confirmation.

"We stopping because of the ice?" Rick asked.

"Alice…" Daryl said. "Wanna make sure she makes it through that shit…"

Rick's face showed that he read exactly what Daryl was thinking. Slowly they could begin to take inventory, each stopping a little farther back and Daryl waving them forward, of the other vehicles in their group.

But Daryl knew, as soon as he heard the squealing brakes, followed by the sickening metallic howls and crashing, that his worries were confirmed. He quickly stuck his head into the car where everyone was staring at him.

"Glenn…get'cha ass out here…y'all stay in here an' stay bundled up," he commanded to the worried looking women in his back seat.

"What happened?" Carol asked, apparently unaware that Cayden was having a fit about the events.

Daryl shook his head.

"Just stay in the car," he said. "We'll be back."

Daryl rushed forward, Glenn finally out of the car himself and waiting on Daryl at the back, and joined up with Rick. As they passed the other vehicles, they picked up Wyatt and Bryan, commanding that everyone else stay where they were. They didn't need to worry about more people than they absolutely had to.

As they rushed just around the last curb, they were almost stopped short. Alice had done an amazing job of crashing the truck. It had flipped onto it's side and was almost blocking the entire road.

Daryl rushed forward, toward the truck, determined to see if the two women were alive. He didn't know if anyone was behind him or not, but he wasn't waiting to find out. When he got closer, though, he could hear screaming and he knew that at least Alice wasn't dead. He could have identified her voice nearly anywhere.

When he got to the front of the truck, lying on the passenger side, he went directly to the windshield. He could see that Alice was hanging, trapped by the seatbelt, while Melodye was unconscious and crumpled against the door.

"Need help!" Daryl called out.

Rick reached him first and then Wyatt. Daryl instructed the boy, probably capable of lifting Melodye with just a hand, to get her out first. He obliged Daryl and got the limp blonde out of the truck before Daryl took his chances and eased into the window as best he could, feeling strange standing half in the body of the truck.

Alice was doing something between crying and screaming, and at the moment Daryl didn't blame her. At least, though, she appeared to be well enough to do that.

"I'ma cut'cha down," Daryl said. "Just slump on into me…I got'cha," he said to her as he cut her loose, ignoring her babbling that wasn't making much sense at the moment.

Daryl wrestled her out of the windshield, attempting to neither cut her nor himself in the process.

"Everyone alive?" Daryl called, holding Alice bridal style while she shook violently and sobbed into his chest.

"She's alive, but she's out cold," Rick said, walking toward where Wyatt was holding Melodye as though she were a ragdoll. "How's Alice?"

Daryl looked at the woman in his arms. He didn't have to be a doctor to diagnose that she was in shock…but other than that she appeared to be pretty well off except for a few cuts that were evidently bleeding.

"Think she'll live, but we at the end a' our line for the night. We need ta get some damn where an' get settled in. We ain't goin' no damn farther until we pass a night," Daryl said.

No one disagreed with his decision and for a moment there was some discussion of what to do with the women in the vehicles. There was room in the car that Tyreese and Sasha were travelling in, so they took both women, Sasha sitting between them for support and comfort, and then everyone else got in their cars, moving at a snail's pace in search of somewhere to hold up for the night.

Between the pressure of trying to navigate the roads, the worry that something would go wrong and that something might happen to one of the women that had been in the accident, and the pressure to find somewhere that was both suitable and close, despite the somewhat abandoned nature of the area they were in, Daryl was quiet in the car and ignored the questions from Maggie, Michonne, and Carol until they finally stopped asking him what had happened and what was going on.

Finally, he spotted what appeared to be something of a cabin. It wasn't enough for the whole group, but if they could get some of the people set up there, namely the ones that needed to be inside and protected first, then they could progress forward and find somewhere to put the others for a night. In the brighter light of a fresh day, instead of the already failing light of this one, it would be easier to find something that would work better for a temporary stop while they regrouped and planned more what they wanted to do.

Daryl stopped the car outside the cabin and nodded to Glenn. By now they had cleared enough stops along the way that verbal communication was almost a waste of breath.

Both of them got out the car, ears immediately open to the possible threat of Walkers, and started toward the cabin in the failing light.

Daryl stopped when he heard Rick's voice.

"That's going to be crowded," Rick said. "Should we look for something?"

Daryl turned around and nodded.

"Take a couple folks an' look around in the area," Daryl said. "I'm gonna get this set up so Carol can help Alice an' Mel. Then we'll find somewhere ta settle everyone else for a couple nights…figure out what the hell we doin'."

"Sounds good," Rick said. "I'll take Bryan and Wyatt…if you don't need them."

Daryl shook his head.

"Ty can help us get everything inside if this place is good," Daryl said.

They split, each going their own way and Daryl and Glenn went in first to the dark cabin. Daryl called out as soon as they opened the door, and they waited, as silent as they could become, for the sounds of growling that never came.

Daryl had been right about one thing on this trip. The cold had kept them from coming up on too many Walkers and the ones that they had come into contact with were slow moving enough that there was hardly any effort involved in putting them down.

"Think it's clear?" Glenn asked, his voice low.

"Hell if I know," Daryl said. "I'ma stay here…go an' get us a light."

Glenn disappeared and Daryl wandered in the dark rooms, barely lit from any of the dim outside light, but he found nothing. The place must have been deserted either before all of this went down or before anyone in the house fell victim to the virus or whatever it had been that caused the initial outbreak of Walkers.

When Glenn came back with a lantern, they made quick work of passing silently through the house. Finding it as abandoned as they suspected it was, they made their way outside and moved Carol, Michonne, Maggie, and the babies inside first.

Daryl passed back to the car where Tyreese was waiting with Sasha for further instruction. Daryl pulled open the back door and collected up a still shook up Alice. Melodye, he could see, was coming around, though she wasn't as clear headed as Alice was.

Tyreese, after barely speaking with Daryl, took up the blonde and carried her inside the house where Carol was already snapping into action and giving orders about where to put her and where to put Alice while she instructed Maggie on where to find the first aid supplies they kept handy.

Michonne, having been given orders she didn't like by Tyreese to remain in safe zones, was tending both the small children in the abandoned living room of the house while the hustle and bustle went on.

When Daryl finally left the cabin, feeling somewhat secure that everything there was under control as best as it could be, he stepped out into the yard of the place and went in search of where Rick and his party might have wandered off to. He went around back of the house, walking in the direction that he'd seen the men heading, and saw that there was another cabin, of similar design, not too far from there. He picked up the pace, spotting a dancing light in the window of the building, and hoped he was after his own group and not about to stumble into something he didn't want to deal with.

Along the way, he stepped over the half frozen body of a Walker that they must have taken down in their trip through the thin layer of snow and took down another Walker that was rambling nearby and appeared to have no real intention of doing anything.

He mounted the porch steps just in time to very nearly plow into the chest of Wyatt.

"All clear?" Daryl asked.

"Ain't nothin' in there…" Wyatt said. "No Walkers nor nothin'…"

"Good…we can put everyone in the two houses for the night and figure shit out tomorrow," Daryl said.

"Sounds like a good idea," Rick said, stepping out onto the porch with the lantern in his hand, Bryan on his heels.

"These cabins," Bryan said. "Looks like they mighta been a clan up here or somethin'…had a good habit of living bunched up together in the middle a' nowhere. If it was, you can bet your bottom dollar we won't have no trouble finding water once the sun's really out and we can look for it."

Daryl nodded slightly at him.

"Wyatt…go an' get everyone that ain't stayin' in that house. Send 'em here an' tell 'em they need their gear," Daryl said.

He turned his attention back to Bryan.

"You reckon this is a good damn place ta pass a couple days? We gotta figure out what we gonna try ta haul outta the back a' the truck Alice had…what we can leave an' what we need…an' we gotta find another damn way ta move it," Daryl said.

Bryan shrugged.

"Suppose this is just as good a place as any," Bryan said. "We can backtrack a couple of miles down the road. There were some cars off in the ditch there and I think I remember seeing a pickup…we could carry some of the shit in that."

Daryl nodded.

"Fine…first light we'll talk about it. Y'all stayin' here or in the other house?" Daryl asked.

When he was assured that the men were staying there, he turned and headed back to the vehicles to move in anything that needed to come in for the night and then he passed into the cabin where it was a flutter of activity as people moved about getting settled in and following Carol's orders to get everything in ready condition for the night.

Daryl found Michonne and took Cayden from her, entertaining his son in the living room floor so that Carol could do what she needed.

The boy was growing like a weed and was bigger than Daryl would have imagined he'd get in such a short amount of time. When he put him on his belly on the floor, he would try to push himself up with shaky arms. He never made it, but he gave it a go, all the while calling out to anyone that would listen to his little baby song.

At some point, Imogene passed through and gave Daryl some of the food that they were eating when they weren't cooking, and he choked down the less than desirable fare of stale granola and Gatorade.

And once the flurry of activity died down a good bit, he secured the house as best he could, assuring himself that at least if there was some kind of Walker interest in the place they would all hear about it before it was too late, and he found Carol who was putting together a pallet for them to sleep on in the corner of the room where she had Alice and Melodye, both sleeping already, in the bed.

Carol turned to him and smiled at Cayden who was curled into his chest.

"He hasn't eaten," she said. "I'm leaking everywhere."

Daryl chuckled.

"Well, I'll finish the bed, you best feed the bean," he said.

He passed her the baby and finished constructing their makeshift bed to the best of his ability. Carol settled down on the pallet next to him, dragging over Cayden's bag, and Daryl sat behind her, his arm around her shoulder, while she fed the baby. Cayden hadn't announced he was hungry before, perhaps distracted by the flurry of activity around him, but now he was eating as though it was the most urgent thing anyone could have imagined.

Daryl leaned and kissed the side of Carol's face and she leaned into him. Their time on the road had meant no time alone for them, and Daryl was missing her sorely, but he knew that everyone was suffering the same kind of missing their significant others.

Travel made intimacy impossible.

"How are Alice an' Mel?" Daryl asked, keeping his voice low so as to not disturb the women.

"Extremely lucky," Carol said, her voice low and matching his. "Mel hit her head pretty good…but there are no signs of damage. Alice probably wrenched her shoulder pretty good…but other than that, she's just fine."

Daryl sighed.

"We gotta stop damn soon…just don't know how the hell ta tell when we get some damn where that's right," Daryl said.

Carol rooted back into him after switching sides with Cayden.

"You'll know," Carol said. "We trust you…I trust you."

Daryl smiled to himself and kissed the side of her head again.

"Reckon that's all the hell I need," he said.


	17. Chapter 17

**AN: Hi everyone! Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, etc.!**

**I doubt I'll update anything tomorrow, but I thought I'd get this out tonight. It's really a chapter of setting some things up…and there's going to be a little bit of that coming up, but at least we're moving on in our story and setting up some things we need for more Caryl moments! **

**I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think! **

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Carol would have hated to say that she was happy that Alice and Melodye were banged up and required at least a couple of days of rest, but she was happy to be in one place for a bit. When she woke up on her pallet, with Cayden sounding her alarm and Daryl sleeping through it, she couldn't help but feel a little relief that the next hour or so wouldn't find her packing their things back in the car to roll on to yet another undesignated stop.

Life on the road was difficult and it took its toll on everyone in its own way.

Carol fed Cayden on the sofa in the living room of the cabin they were in. It was the most comfortable room to feed him in and it happened to be the only room in the place that wasn't being used as a temporary bedroom for someone.

She liked the cabin. Even this morning, just as the sun was coming up and shining around the various towels and things they'd used to cover the windows, it had a certain feeling to it. It had a homey feeling…and that was something that the barns, gyms, stores, and gas stations they'd been cramming into didn't have yet.

Carol heard the door creak and her eyes shot toward it. Michonne came in, dragging her feet, her katana slung over her shoulder.

Carol smiled when she saw her.

"Out already this morning?" Carol asked.

Michonne had been kept under lock and key for most of the trip, a position she didn't enjoy, but she was expecting and Tyreese was protective of her. Carol was surprised to see that the woman had escaped his watchful eye.

Michonne shrugged off her katana and her cloak, looking somewhat exhausted and none too amused, and came over to sink down on the couch beside Carol and watch Cayden as he finished with his breakfast.

"Nice to get sick without an audience," Michonne mumbled.

Carol frowned.

"Is it getting any better?" She asked. She almost felt guilty because she hadn't been sick at all with Cayden…not like she had with Sophia.

Michonne shrugged.

"A little," she said. "It was terrible with my girls too."

"Maybe the little one will be a girl…" Carol offered.

"Maybe…" Michonne said.

Carol burped Cayden when he was done and held him for a few moments, enjoying the quiet time to nuzzle with him.

During the time on the road, he was growing like a weed. He was getting so much bigger and he was very alert. He looked so much like Daryl that Carol almost felt cheated. There wasn't, in her opinion, a bit of her in the little, wide eyed boy.

He was a quiet baby too, except when he was hungry or his diaper had been dirty for far longer than he thought acceptable. Carol wondered if he had some sort of sense that he needed to be quiet except when, at least to him, necessity dictated otherwise.

Perhaps the different world made even the babies different.

"I guess you're not interested in any breakfast," Carol said to Michonne, making faces at Cayden and chuckling at the fact that he would smile back at her now that he'd learned how to control his facial muscles in such a way as to produce an unmistakable smile…one that had a slight curl to it, like when Daryl smirked at her.

"I'll watch the little man," Michonne offered.

Carol nodded her understanding and passed the baby over who seemed as happy to be with Michonne at times as he did to be with her. He was a social baby if nothing else, and he accepted the company of has various aunts and uncles without question.

Carol didn't want to go out on her own and attempt to start a fire, especially since she didn't know where they were or what kind of Walker threat might be in the area, so she went to work checking the status of the indoor fireplace to see if it might be possible to build a fire there, even if it was a small one, and surprise everyone with a warm breakfast to go with the absolutely delightful feeling of being able to pass more than one night in a given location…especially one so comfortable.

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Daryl didn't expect to be awoken to the smell of breakfast, but the smell of cooking meat…although potted and not as desirable as what his dreams might have produced…drifted through the cabin and had woken him up.

He'd eaten breakfast in the company of the others that shared his cabin and stepped out the door behind Carol, carrying over the extra food so that she wasn't loaded down and alone, to take food to the other cabin where the rest of the group was temporarily stationed.

He hadn't been able to see, the night before, much of the surrounding area, but the light of morning, which was extra bright due to the snow, lit up the area and showed Daryl a sight he hadn't quite expected to see.

The second cabin…the place he knew the others to be staying…was clearly marked by smoke drifting out of the chimney above the place.

The two cabins were close together, a short walking distance from one to the other, and both of them were on the top of a hill.

Behind the cabin they were staying in, there was a deep dip down into a valley where Daryl could tell there was something of a creek…although the waterway looked to be larger than a creek but smaller than anything that could possibly constitute a river.

And there were other cabins.

"Where the hell are we?" Daryl growled as Carol walked a few steps in front of him in the snow.

Glenn stepped out of the other cabin and made his way toward them, reaching out to take the food out of Carol's hands.

"Where are we?" Carol repeated for Daryl, glancing around.

Glenn smiled and shrugged.

"Bryan and Rick took a walk around about half an hour ago," Glenn said. "We think it might have been some kind of mountain resort or something?"

"Summer camp?" Carol asked.

Glenn laughed.

"I don't know what kind of summer camps you went to, but the cabins weren't like this where I went!" Glenn declared.

He glanced at Daryl, holding his attention for a moment.

"Bryan wants to talk to you…if you've got a minute," Glenn said.

Carol turned around, almost bumping into Daryl.

"I'm freezing…I want to get back to Cayden…I don't like leaving him alone," she said, searching his eyes for something like approval.

Daryl chuckled and nodded his head.

"Get on back in there then, but it ain't like he's alone…hell…he's got plenty attention," Daryl said.

Carol frowned at him.

"Maggie will probably come over soon…Rick's kind of passed Jude off to him," Glenn called.

Carol nodded slightly and started back the way they'd come, heading toward the cabin they'd spent the night in while Daryl followed Glenn on toward the cabin that the others had occupied. He mounted the steps and beat his boots off before he stepped in the door without even really knowing why.

"We got breakfast!" Glenn declared as they came in the door. Daryl followed behind him and put the food down for everyone else.

He lingered around the cabin, while the others ate, and listened to Rick and Bryan chat to him about the place and what they'd seen while they were out walking around.

"Looks like it could be a good place," Bryan said. "Plenty of housing already here…it's pretty remote…place looks almost Walker free."

"It's cold," Daryl said. "They hibernatin' or whatever the hell they do…prob'ly damn well froze cold as it is."

"Still," Bryan said, "it's worth looking into…we didn't know where we were going, but we might have found it."

Daryl wasn't sure. He hadn't had the chance to explore the area yet and he wasn't willing to commit to staying in one place without having the opportunity to see if it was really what they were hoping to find. He hadn't gone out like they had…he'd been distracted by the first opportunity he'd had in some time to simply hold his son for a few minutes without worrying about having to pack cars and rally people and get moving.

"What about fences?" Daryl asked.

Rick cleared his throat and glanced at Bryan.

"We haven't walked the entire thing," Rick said. "From over on the ledge that we walked to, it looks like there might be wooden fences down in the valley…on the other side of this thing…whatever it is."

"We could always build fences," Bryan offered. "Easiest thing to do. If there's enough land, we could expand out if we needed to…we could see about farm land when the ground thaws…build a barn."

Daryl nipped at his thumb and leaned against the window frame behind him in the warm cabin.

"Seems like ya pretty dead set on this place," he said. He had nothing against it yet, but he could tell that at least the two men seemed sold on it. And Maggie, Glenn, and Wyatt, who were all eating quietly but watching the interaction seemed pretty sold on it as well as was indicated by their enthusiastic head nodding in support of everything that Bryan was offering.

"We didn't know where we were going," Bryan said. "I'm just sayin' it might not be a bad idea to open our eyes and have a look around."

Daryl nodded his head.

"The cabins is nicer than anythin' I ever lived in," Daryl offered.

"And there are a lot of them," Glenn said. "From the looks of it there will be cabins we don't even need…"

Daryl chuckled.

"You too, shortstack?" Daryl asked. "Already hangin' ya damn curtains?"

Glenn shrugged slightly.

"How 'bout access? Where the hell are we? I mean we got a chance ta get any damn where for supplies?" Daryl asked.

"Well…" Rick started, "we know that road we came up on is blocked off. We don't have anything to move that truck and Alice pretty much laid it sideways across the whole road."

"But we don't know what the hell we're going to find if we walk around the outside perimeter of this thing. Looks like there had to be more than one way into something this big…and this nice," Bryan offered.

"We could settle in for a couple of days," Glenn offered. "I could take a group and we could scout the area…see what there is to offer…see if we're around any towns."

Daryl nodded. Glenn was the best for doing things like that. If there were towns that might offer up anything of use, Glenn would be the one to find them.

"We could use a couple a' days anyway," Daryl admitted. "Need some damn time ta look in that truck too…send some people down there ta see what the hell we can still use…what the hell withstood the crash. Figure out if we takin' shit with us if we go or callin' a loss."

"If we stay here," Maggie offered, "then we don't have to call anything a loss that made it through the crash…"

"Don't jump the gun too damn fast," Daryl said, holding his hand up at her. "I ain't sayin' we ain't stayin'…hell we all gotta talk about it, but we need ta know this place is safe or at least that we got us a good damn chance a' makin' it that way or we just gon' go an' get all damn excited for nothin' an' then we hit the road again."

Daryl paused and looked around. He sighed.

"Ever' damn body's already ready ta be where the hell we goin' an' if we let everyone think we made it just ta tell 'em we goin' again, they gon' be worse off than they is now," Daryl said. "Best not ta say we stayin' 'til we got some more damn information."

Glenn nodded somewhat enthusiastically.

"I agree with that," Glenn said. "It's better not to get anyone's hopes up until we're sure. Why not say that we're staying a few days…some people scout the area…some people clear the truck…"

"I could take a couple of people to check out the other cabins," Maggie offered. "Clear them out…see if there's anything we might need if we don't stay."

"There ya go," Daryl said. "We keep busy…say we stayin' a couple days, but we don't get too excited 'til we got somethin' ta tell everyone about that's a lil' more sure than the fact that we like this place…an' we might just like it 'cause we ain't even stopped for the past longest an' we gettin' damn near road weary."

"I'm finished eating," Rick offered. "When we're all done, we can start to divide up who goes where…get everyone together."

Daryl nodded his head.

He waited while everyone chatted and finished their food and then he led the troop of them across the snowy ground back to the other cabin where everyone else was crowded in. The pulling together drew the attention of everyone except Melodye, who was resting under Carol's command.

"Listen up," Rick called when they'd crowded everyone together into the warming living room. "We're staying here a couple of days and we've got a few things that we want to do while we're here. We need a small group to go down to the truck…figure out what's salvageable out of the back of it. Another group is going with Glenn to check out the surrounding area…another is going to check out the cabins in the area…and the last group is going to check out this little villa or whatever we seemed to have stumbled into."

Cynthia chuckled from where she was leaning against the wall.

"How many groups are you squeezing out of us, Rick?" She asked. "We can't exactly clone ourselves."

Daryl rolled his eyes and growled to himself.

"I'ma check out the damn area 'round us," Daryl said. "I can go all on my own if I gotta. Glenn…who the hell ya wanna take with ya?"

Glenn looked around, his eyes coasting over everyone in the room. Daryl knew that Glenn would be the best to make these decisions, even though he was probably not going to enjoy the fact that Daryl was staying behind to look at the perimeter and Michonne would likely be left with Carol…and both of them were his preferred run partners without Maggie…who had already announced that she might lead up the cabin group.

"If I'm going to do this," Glenn said. "I want to travel light. I'd like to take Wyatt…if you can spare him."

Daryl nodded. Wyatt was a good choice. The boy was about as dumb as a box of rocks but he was an effective person to have on your team for just about anything if you weren't looking to have any kind of profound conversation with him.

"Bryan…" Daryl said. "I'd appreciate it if ya went with me."

Bryan nodded his head.

"Sasha and I could check out the truck," Tyreese offered.

"Cynthia…you an' Karen could go with Maggie…clean out cabins," Daryl offered.

He looked around at who was left.

"Some of ya gonna stay ya asses here," Daryl said, casting a glance at Carol and scanning his eyes over Michonne as well. "An' Carl…if ya wouldn't mind, I'd like ya ta stay…just in case there's trouble?"

Carl looked like he might protest, but then he sunk back against the wall where he was standing with his arms folded across his chest.

"Yeah…fine," he grumbled like the good teen that he was.

"Rest of ya…go where ya reckon ya gon' do the best work," Daryl said. "We splittin' up an' that means ain't none of us gonna be too damn strong…so if ya don't think ya can hold ya own right now, ain't no damn shame in it…Alice…but it just means ya gotta keep ya ass planted here an' hold up."

"I'm not arguing," Alice offered. "I'm staying right where I am…I'm not trying to get my ass out there today."

"Are we going on foot?" Tyreese asked.

Daryl shook his head.

"Far as we know the only damn place we can take a vehicle is back ta where Alice flipped the truck…but'cha welcome ta drive down there. Me an' Bryan's gonna be walkin'," Daryl offered.

"I think Wyatt and I should walk," Glenn offered. "Rick…you want to go with us?"

Rick shot a look at Carl who wasn't interested in what he was doing and then nodded at Glenn, squeezing at his temples.

"Yeah…we can find a car somewhere if we need to," Rick offered. "We need supplies, though, in case we're gone more than the day."

"I'll keep Judith," Carol offered. "She'll be safe with us."

Rick thanked her for the offer and Daryl waited with the others to address anymore concerns. The only group pretty much not guaranteed to return before nightfall was Glenn's group. Everyone else would remain somewhat in the area.

When it seemed that the whole thing was settled, everyone started to break off and discuss what they were doing with their day. Daryl followed Glenn, Rick, and Wyatt to their cabin to see them off and to repeat the normal declaration that they should be as careful as they possibly could.

The three of them seemed optimistic and enthusiastic, though, as they left, through the woods, without any idea of where they were or where they were going. Daryl watched them go and hoped that Glenn's sense of direction was as good as they'd always given it credit for being.

Then he turned back toward the cabin to get Bryan and start around the perimeter to see what the area directly around them had to offer.

Daryl didn't want to admit it, for fear of getting his own hopes up like he'd warned the others about, but he was oddly optimistic about the fact that they may have actually found what the hell they'd been looking for. It was probably going to take a lot of work…and a lot of energy…but after all they'd been through and all they'd done since the world decided to turn upside down, Daryl figured that if it could be done, they could do it.


	18. Chapter 18

**AN: Another little set up chapter. We're going to have a few of them in one way or another as we get all the little pieces in place. **

**I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think! **

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Carol almost felt guilty for actually taking some time to just relax…something she couldn't remember having done in quite a long time…while everyone else seemed to be working at something or another.

She was in the living room of the cabin, cuddling Cayden, with Alice, Michonne who was playing in the floor with Judith and some pots and pans they'd found for her, and Carl. Everyone else had found something to entertain them…some job to keep them busy.

"You don't have to stay up under us, you know?" Alice said to Carl who was leaning against the wall as though he were overseeing prisoners in an old time jail, with something akin to a snarl painted across his face at the thought that he was keeping them company instead of doing something that he thought more worthy of his "impressive abilities" in this world.

"You could take that sour face outside," Carol offered with a slight shrug. "We'll need wood…you could round that up."

"Daryl asked me to stay with you," Carl responded, the sound of a teenager echoing through his humorously changing voice.

"And I'm telling you that we're fine," Carol said. "You don't have to go miles away for wood…"

Carl growled a little at her and turned dramatically, almost stomping out of the cabin, slamming the heavy door behind him. Carol waited until she knew he was gone to chuckle.

"Teenage angst," she said. "It happens even now."

"I only wish I had conquered the world while I was as smart as I was when I was fifteen or sixteen," Alice said, fake remorse in her voice. "I waited too long and turned into one of the stupid adults."

"He'll learn," Michonne offered. "I guess that just because the world has changed, it doesn't mean that people have."

Carol nodded her agreement and nuzzled her son who was studying her face with some concern on his own. He smiled at her, though, when she smiled at him.

"You think we'll stay here?" Alice asked, offering the question that had been silently on the minds of all of them.

"If it's a good place," Carol offered, "then we'll stay. Daryl isn't going to settle until he's sure. But I know he isn't interested in travelling forever. He's got too many plans for us when we get to this magical place that's going to be home."

"We might be home," Alice said. "That's a strange concept these days…home."

"It's one that I wouldn't mind wrapping my mind around before the baby comes," Michonne said. "I mean I'll do what I have to do…but I'd rather be settled somewhere."

Carol nodded and chuckled, moving herself to the floor so that she could rest Cayden on his belly on the rug and give him the chance to use some of his muscles that got so often ignored with them spending so much time in the car.

"Daryl keeps talking about us trying to have another when we find this home," Carol said. "That's a strange concept too…the idea of trying to have a baby in this?"

"Well, if we do make it somewhere that's safe…somewhere that's home…" Alice said, shifting around to take over the abandoned space on the couch that Carol had left vacant, "then I say be bountiful and multiply."

Carol snickered and reached over, knocking Alice's foot that dangled near her playfully with her hand.

"Did you put the idea in his head?" Carol asked.

Alice snickered in response and shook her head.

"No…but it makes sense. Humans have been doing it since the dawn of time. Once you're safe and your needs are met…that's what you do, you multiply," Alice said.

"Not you and Mel…" Michonne said.

Alice shrugged.

"If someone wanted to be a good, old fashioned donor and Mel wanted it…hell…I'm sure there's a turkey baster stuck somewhere in all these damn places around here," Alice said.

Carol and Michonne both chuckled, shaking their heads at her.

Tyreese and Sasha came through the door a few minutes later, each carrying a box that looked like it had seen better days and shaking off the cold as though they were bears instead of people.

"Food," Tyreese said. Sasha just nodded her head, her teeth chattering slightly against the cold.

"Kitchen," Carol said, nodding her head in the direction of the kitchen. "What's it look like out there?"

"Freezing…it's freezing," Sasha said. "But it's beautiful."

Carol chuckled.

"And the truck?"

They both, having shed their boxes, came into the living room both obviously trying to suck as much of the heat out of the low burning fire as they could.

"You deserve an award," Tyreese said to Alice, pointing his finger at her. "I'm seriously surprised you're alive."

Alice chuckled in her throat.

"I'm either blessed or cursed…I haven't figured out which," she said.

"You're lucky you didn't go over the side…it's pretty steep off both sides of the road and she laid the thing out, perfectly, across the road," Sasha said. "We're going to be slow unloading it because you've got to be very careful trying to get in and out the back that you don't fall something like thirty feet."

Carol cringed. She didn't care for heights, and she could only imagine having been assigned to that job.

"It's not so bad," Tyreese said. "We are thinking about getting some rope though…making some kind of harness system, just in case."

"An ounce of prevention," Michonne said from the floor, turning her head slightly in Tyreese's direction. Carol didn't miss the quick wink that he gave her before he hugged himself again and stepped closer to the fire again.

"There's rope in the car that Rick was driving," Carol said. "I'm sure there's no better use for it right now than making sure that no one falls off a mountain."

Sasha laughed.

"Even if we don't need it…it's nice to have the feeling of it there. There's really a lot that can be salvaged, I think," Sasha said.

"Nothing glass, obviously, made it, but it looks like everything else did," Tyreese said. "If we're staying here we need to build a shelter for the animals too. I think the only reason those are alive is because they're just too hard headed to die…"

"Like Alice," Michonne offered.

Carol chuckled and reached over and squeezed Alice's foot that she'd batted at earlier.

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Daryl stepped, his feet naturally picking up speed with the dip of the land into the first roadway that they'd found on their hike around the place.

Daryl never considered himself a really religious person, but he'd already decided these mountains…whatever chain they were…were God's Country in definition. The air was freezing cold but light and easier to breathe…almost seeming purer to his lungs than any of the air that he'd breathed before.

Bryan was at least ten steps ahead of him, already examining the cast iron gates around the roadway that they'd come to.

"Gates into this place," Bryan said, as though Daryl wasn't going to be able to figure out what they were looking at. Daryl didn't take offense, though. He'd learned by now that Bryan was a man who typically pointed out the obvious.

"They locked?" Daryl asked.

Bryan stepped forward and pushed at one of the gates and it swung a little.

"Once upon a time they probably were," Bryan said. "Electric…now they're not, but we could chain them. If I'm right…I bet this is the only road access into the place."

"'Cept the way we come in," Daryl said.

Bryan nodded.

"I think we came up an access road…probably meant for people who worked here…groundskeepers, maintenance men…builders…and it's blocked now," Bryan said.

Daryl walked toward Bryan, shivering a little against the cold and noticing that snow was beginning to fall again.

Bryan surveyed the area around them.

"That waterway…it's moving and it's fresh…we got our own water source here. Maggie'll count 'em, but you can bet your ass there's twenty well-built cabins here if there's one. We're edged on all sides by forests…and we can cut our own timber…clear land and build barns…figure out where the hell we are and what the hell we can grow. What else are you looking for?" Bryan said.

Daryl looked around. He was inclined to agree with Bryan's analysis and with the feelings of everyone from this morning. They may have very well stumbled into something…and for a bit he might even believe they'd somehow all died. They hadn't seen a Walker yet in their wandering…but that didn't mean that he believed for a moment that they weren't out there and they weren't coming. He still remembered the farm and how they'd all been lulled, almost, into thinking they were untouchable.

"Fences," Daryl said. "Want my damn kid ta be able ta go the fuck outside…in his own damn backyard…an' not have ta feel like he's gonna get his ass chewed up ever' damn day."

Bryan nodded his head slightly.

"We can build fences…wherever you want. It'll take time, but we can make them what we want them to be…better to wait 'til the ground thaws some, though," Bryan said.

Daryl nodded. He'd figured that much already. They would be limited on a lot of things until the cold passed some.

"What do you think?" Bryan asked a moment later, rocking on his feet, staying near the gates.

Daryl chewed his lip and looked around again.

"We wait 'til Glenn, Rick, an' Wyatt get back…find out if we can survive the winter an' the damn time it takes ta start makin' some a' our own damn food," Daryl said.

He looked around again, not wanting to admit the way his heart soared at the thought that this might be their home. He could already hear, somewhere in his mind, the echoing sounds of everyone's happy voices around him in the valley and surrounding hills.

"If we can make it…I say we start buildin' some kinda damn animal shelter an' we start spreadin' the fuck out…sleep without someone's damn feet in my face," Daryl said.

Bryan chuckled.

"Too damn early to celebrate?" Bryan asked.

Daryl couldn't help but chuckle at the joviality radiating off his companion at the moment.

"Just a damn minute too early," Daryl said. "But hold on ta the thought…"

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Daryl sat on one of the rocking chairs on the frost covered porch of the cabin, the smell of wood smoke filling the air around him, and he almost forgot what the world around them was really like.

He almost forgot that Rick, Glenn, and Wyatt were out there, somewhere, trying to figure out where they were and if they were going to be able to survive the winter in this haven they seemed to have found.

He almost forgot that wearing his knife at his side, within reach in seconds as it was now, was something that was as natural to him now as breathing in case a Walker should appear and want to have a taste of him.

And he almost forgot that the people sleeping in this cabin and in the other one he could see if he craned his neck a little, weren't really his family…they were people he'd found, one way or another, in the most trying situations that any of them could have ever been in.

He could almost forget all of that because the place that they had found seemed like a place so far removed from the reality that they'd sadly learned to call their own.

Daryl finished his cigarette and got up from the rocking chair, crushing it out in the snow that piled on the banister of the cabin. He stepped inside, locking the door behind him against Walkers and possible intruders, and went to the fire, picking through it with the iron tool before putting another log in there.

On the living room couch, Michonne, who had decided that dinner was something she didn't want to keep very long this evening, was asleep, and he stopped a moment to move the blanket she had wrapped around, which had almost slid to the ground, so that she was fully covered by it. She groaned softly and shifted in her sleep at the return of her warmth, but didn't wake entirely.

Daryl slipped, then, through the house to the bedroom where he was occupying a pallet with Carol. She was already lying down, Cayden fed and sleeping beside her. Daryl went around her, easing down to the floor and settling behind her where he could wrap his arms around her.

"He went ta sleep easy tonight," Daryl growled, low in her ear so as to not wake the two women sleeping in the bed not far from them.

"He was tired," Carol said. "I think this is the first day he's ever gotten to actually play some…"

Daryl craned his head around and kissed Carol's cheek and she turned away from the baby, her lips meeting his in a soft kiss and her arm wrapping around him. She nuzzled his cheek in the dark, the sound of her breath in his ear.

"If we can do it…" Daryl said, even though he'd thought about not really discussing it with her for fear of getting her hopes up too high, "we gon' stay here…an' he's gon' do a helluva lotta playin'."

Daryl felt Carol smile, her face against his cheek, before she planted another soft kiss on his cheek.

"I hope so," she said. "But I trust you…if it's not right, it's not right."

Daryl wrapped his arms around her and pulled her on top of him almost, just so she could lie against him, bundled under the blankets.

Carol moaned softly in the dark, one of her content moans.

"Maggie found cribs in a couple of the cabins," Carol said. "If we stay…Cayden can have a crib…I've been worried that the little worm is going to learn to crawl without me even realizing it and then he's going to crawl away in the night."

Daryl chuckled softly and patted her back.

"That why the hell ya don't sleep like ya should? Ya 'fraid the Bean's a damn escape artist?" He asked.

Carol chuckled.

"Maybe…just a little," Carol said.

Daryl moved his hands, finding her face, his fingers pressing gently against her lips when he found them. She kissed his fingers softly and he replaced them with his lips after a moment, giving over to the relaxed way that she kissed him when her tongue found access to his mouth and teased his.

"I got me a feelin'," Daryl said. "That we 'bout ta worry a whole lot less an' sleep a whole damn lot more. If they come back sayin' we can get the shit we need ta make it 'til we can start doin' somethin' good with this place…then we gon' get us our own damn cabin…an' we gon' finally live the way we wanna live."

Carol moaned again, brushing her cheek against him again.

"Home," she said, softly. "We'll finally have a home…"

"Hell yeah we will," Daryl said.

He rubbed Carol's back and she slipped off him enough to check on Cayden for what Daryl knew was probably the thousandth time, and then she settled down beside him again. He slipped his arm around her, hugging her close to him and closed his eyes, letting himself imagine what it might be like to have a real damn home…a real home that belonged to them both…a home where they could live out at least something of the stories that Carol told him about what their lives would have been like when she couldn't sleep at night.

Except this would be a lot damn better…because this would be the real damn thing, and living it always beat the hell out of telling made up stories.


	19. Chapter 19

**AN: Here you go…another little chapter working to set us up.**

**I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think! **

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Carol bundled Cayden up and fixed him in the sling that Michonne had helped her fashion that was much easier to manipulate than the one they'd originally come up with leaving the prison. It was made from a sheet they'd found that was made out of the same somewhat stretchy material that some shirts are made of and it had enough give to hold the baby tight to her, but also to get him in and out without the same need for three or more sets of hands that the more rigid slings they'd made required.

Carol longed for the baby carriers of the past and hoped that, if they were staying for a while, she might put in a request for one from someone going on a run. In particular she was interested in one that Michonne told her about having when she'd had her girls that sounded like it was as versatile and simple as they could possibly come.

Cayden didn't mind the homemade sling, though, and he laughed at her as she got him situated.

"You think that's funny?" She asked, raising her eyebrows at her son. He looked at her like he was concerned for a moment before howling at her as though he were responding to her. She chuckled and offered him the pacifier that was likely to make his experience better.

She picked up the pan that the leftover breakfast was in and rested it against her hip while she made her way out the cabin and down the steps, toward the other cabin where most everyone was gathered discussing what they would be doing next. She hadn't gone, feeling confident that Daryl would make the right decisions for all three of them and she didn't need to be there to make him feel that she was pressuring him either way.

When Carol came in, Maggie closing the door behind her, she went directly into the kitchen area of the second cabin and put the food down, turning then to pay attention to what was going on, only finding that everyone there was more or less staring at her as though they were waiting for her to get some joke that she hadn't even heard yet.

"What?" She asked, looking to Daryl for clarification and moving her hands under Cayden to support him so that the sling didn't pull down so hard on her.

"Which cabin ya want, woman? We stayin'," Daryl said.

Carol couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face at the mere thought of having somewhere to settle…somewhere to call home for at least a little while.

"Everyone is welcome to spread out if they like," Rick said. "We're not expecting any serious Walker threats, but everyone should be on guard, just in case."

"Looks pretty damn clear 'round here," Daryl said. "But we ain't got fences 'round all the damn sides a' us yet an' we ain't likely ta have that shit 'til the first thaw."

"So we're on our own if we spread out?" Carol asked, growing a little concerned at the thought of being separated off…without the protection of the group…after they'd spent so much time banding together.

Daryl nodded his head slightly, chewing at his lip.

"People welcome ta bunch up how the hell they want," Daryl said. "If someone don't feel comfortable bein' in charge a' they own damn house…they can stay with someone else…we got more'n enough space, though, for everyone ta spread out."

"And you can always spread out later," Bryan offered. "I'm probably going to bunk with someone until the fences are up…since bein' all on my own doesn't sound too appetizin'."

"I'm staying with Ned and Milagros," Hershel offered. "Imogene and Wyatt will keep us company."

"Bryan," Cynthia said, "you should stay with us…"

And Carol watched and listened as people slowly paired off or grouped off, each being satisfied with those that they would face the nights with, if nothing else.

She glanced at Daryl, but he didn't seem, at first, like he was offering to stay with anyone…and he might not. He'd had his heart set, in one manner or another, on them having their very own home…something that belonged entirely to them.

But when Sasha expressed that she preferred to stay with Alice and Mel, out from under her big brother, but not being coupled up with anyone, Daryl finally cleared his throat and spoke.

"All the damn cabins got two bedrooms…three if ya count that lil' damn room…" Daryl said.

The little room he was referring to was what most of them decided was supposed to be a study or a library. Carol had examined it in both the cabins they had cleared and available to them, and though it was decorated differently in both places, all of the cabins seeming to be essentially cookie cutter replicas of each other, it was logical to assume that it was an office or something of the like.

Carol thought it looked like a nursery to her…or at least that's what she'd decided it would be if she was to become to the proud owner of one of the cabins.

"Ty…why don't you an' 'Chonne join us?" Daryl asked. "That way we know Carol an' 'Chonne…they close ta each other…in case they need somethin'."

Carol almost sighed at the offer. She hated, although she didn't want to admit it out loud, the feeling that came over her at being all alone.

It had nothing to do with Daryl…nothing at all. She would dearly love to have a little home that belonged just to them, but it was going to take some adjustment to go from the hustle and bustle of the prison to the crowded conditions of the road to the strange freedom of living alone.

And without the fences in place…with all of them relatively exposed to the possible attack of Walkers or even passing groups…Carol knew that she was naturally going to worry about her friends…her family. And she was going to worry that something might happen and it would be too much for her and Daryl to handle alone.

But for some reason, the thought of at least sharing her space with Tyreese and Michonne made it feel less like a drastic jump.

And perhaps, when the fences were in place, and everyone had a better feel for the life they might lead here, she would feel differently and they'd go their own way, but for the moment she appreciated that Daryl had made the offer he had, and that Tyreese and Michonne, with very little hesitation, accepted it.

Carol asked if they might have the original cabin…the one next to the one they were currently in and no one seemed to have a problem with it. Maggie offered to show them where she'd found some folding cribs so that Cayden might have a bed that didn't include a pallet on the floor, and Alice had declared that she and Mel would prefer the one they were currently in since it was close to Michonne, the one most likely to need medical assistance on a whim.

Everyone filed out of the cabin then, a new life breathed into all of them, as they started to spread out and explore what was available to them…looking for their new homes and already imagining finding a life that many of them hadn't thought they'd find again.

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"Shit ain't great," Daryl declared, going around the makeshift barn they'd built and hammering in some of the nails that weren't in the best they could be. "'Bout as damn good as we had at the prison, though…need some plastic ta seal up the cracks."

"It's something…and it's liable to save the poor animals we've got left," Ned declared from where he was walking around more or less overseeing the impressive barn raising that had taken place throughout the day just at the edge of the creek.

"We can get plastic in town," Glenn said. "That first town isn't far at all…and that's as far as we went. Doesn't look to be too picked over. We take a few people, make some lists and we could have our own Christmas…we could bring back things we don't even need, just because we want them!"

Daryl couldn't help but chuckle at Glenn's enthusiasm. The excitement of everyone at the confirmation that they'd be staying in the place was contagious. No one could be down about the plan…even if you tried you would inevitably have been lifted up by someone around you in less time than you could imagine.

While many of them had put their energy into raising a barn to house their long suffering animals…who had now become pets as much as anything else…others were busy cleaning out cabins, burning the few Walkers they found here and there, and moving things from one place to another to suit someone's fancy.

The cabins were spread out…too far to hear each other if someone were to signal some kind of alarm over Walkers or intruders, and Daryl thought they might put some energy into remedying that somehow…but the idea of having more privacy and more…freedom…to their lives was what was probably fueling the excitement more than anything.

They'd been crammed almost on top of one another since they'd left the prison. The cars had been packed…the places they'd stayed had left them so close together that most nights it had been hard to so much as stretch your legs out without kicking someone else in the head. There had been times when they'd considered the prison a place where they'd had more space than they knew what to do with.

This was going to be a welcomed change for Daryl.

And he didn't mind sharing the house they were in with Michonne and Tyreese…and he was pleased that Alice and her crew, as he would now think of Mel and their adopted friend Sasha, were next door where he might reach them quickly if they needed her for anything at all.

Michonne and Carol were good friends, and Daryl appreciated whatever it was that the women seemed to share, especially when he thought about the fact that setting up this…establishment…might keep him out of the cabin more than he'd really like. At least he would know that Carol wouldn't be alone. And Michonne was pregnant…so he expected Tyreese would appreciate knowing that she wasn't alone either.

Daryl thought, if everything worked out the way that he dreamed it would, the place they were building…the life they were building…would be secure enough in a matter of less than a year that they might spread out even more. They might actually choose to live alone, just as he hoped, in their own little home with Cayden and…he hoped…at least one other little one. But until the fences were up, he was comfortable with the arrangement they'd put in place.

"When ya reckon ya wanna make a real run?" Daryl asked, breaking away from the group to hopefully draw it in for the night. He caught up with Glenn heading toward the cabin that Daryl and Carol were going to be calling home, probably following the smell of smoke and cooking food drifting out the chimney for the meal that they'd been promised when they finished with the barn.

"We can go as soon as you want," Glenn replied, not slowing his steps. "I think we should do a big haul…I think we could get a truck to those gates down there pretty easy…the roads into that don't look like that access road we came up."

Daryl sucked his teeth and shook his head.

"Don't know how Alice'd feel like that. Her ass is still banged up an' I don't think I'd blame her if she'd still shook up 'bout layin' that truck down," Daryl responded.

Glenn shrugged.

"If she doesn't want to do it then we can look into stealing several smaller vans or trucks," Glenn offered. "But I think when we go, we should go with a good plan and a thorough list. Know what we're really hoping to get out of it and then extra is extra."

"Ya sure as shit ain't hearin' my ass disputin' that," Daryl said. "We need ta know what the fuck we doin' these days…gotta do everythin' right."

Glenn chuckled softly and nodded his head.

"Don't say anything…" Glenn said, "but Maggie and I are planning on trying for a baby. I'd really like to feel like things were safe and settled before we did that…you know?"

Daryl chuckled.

"Didn't know ya had it in ya, shortstack!" Daryl crowed.

Glenn shushed him and looked around, reassuring himself that no one was in the area to overhear them at the moment.

"It hasn't happened yet," he whispered. "We're just talking…I just…I want to know she's safe."

Daryl cleared his throat and nodded.

"Reckon I'm hopin' me an' Carol's gonna have another…an' we already got Cayden…so I know what the hell ya mean. I'd be just damn fine if this was the safest fuckin' place on the face a' the damn planet," Daryl said.

"Another, really?" Glenn asked.

Daryl chuckled.

"Don't go runnin' ya damn mouth or I'll bust ya plans wide open," Daryl warned. "Ain't happened yet neither…just talkin'."

Glenn smiled and pretended to twist a key at his lips before breaking into a chuckle.

"I can keep my mouth shut, you know," he said.

"Just 'cause I got shit on ya ass," Daryl said.

Glenn shrugged slightly, plowing along in front of Daryl and Daryl chuckled again, closing the distance between them and passing Glenn, driven on by the chewing of hunger in his stomach and the promise of the first hot meal in his own damn home.

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Carol assured herself once more that Cayden was sleeping in the crib that they'd found him and cast a glance around her little nursery.

She felt like it was so much nicer than anything she might have ever dreamed of…and maybe it wasn't so much the nursery, which was a small room that housed only a crib, a rocking chair they'd found, one small dresser and a folding changing table, as it was the feeling of having something like that…in her own home…and knowing that she was putting her son down to sleep so that she could spend the evening with her husband…Daryl Dixon…a man who loved her and was just as excited as anyone else about their newfound wealth.

Carol picked up her lantern from the top of the small dresser and left the room, leaving the door open for fear that she wouldn't hear Cayden if he cried, and slipped into the bedroom where Daryl was already in bed and under the covers.

Carol shivered against the cold as she stripped down and slid under the covers, already warmed by Daryl's body heat. He reached, as soon as she lie down, and wrapped an arm around her only seconds before moving to loom above her, his eyes filled with lust and a lightness that she hadn't seen in a long time.

She smiled at him.

"You're beautiful," she said.

Daryl chuckled.

"That's you, woman," he said. "An' I ain't."

Carol smiled again, leaning her head up and bringing her lips to his. He kissed her with a hunger and bit her lip as he pulled away, growling in his throat.

"You are to me…" she said.

"Mmm…" Daryl said, ducking his head down and sucking her nipple, twirling his tongue around it and pulling a moan from her before going to the other, biting down on it gently after she moaned again. "I'm gonna show ya ass just how damn beautiful ya are…fuck…"

Carol shivered as Daryl pulled the covers back from her and slipped a hand between her legs to tease her while he continued his assault on her body with his mouth.

He bit and sucked and licked with a ferocity that left Carol almost feeling ashamed for not participating as much as he was simply because she felt like she couldn't keep up with the speed that he'd set for them.

Finally she'd collapsed back, letting him have his way, letting him get it out of his system, and he didn't seem to protest the fact that she'd decided to simply close her eyes, calling out with the pleasure when it was too much for her to keep inside.

By the time that he moved on from his sampling of her body and pushed her legs up over his shoulders in a position that she thought she might have been better to have stretched for after their lack of practice, Carol could barely breath for the panting and her heart felt like it might pound right out of her chest.

And the same eagerness as before came through in the act when Daryl finally entered her and set a pace that Carol struggled, once again, to keep up with…feeling far too overwhelmed with everything that her senses were going through at the moment.

Carol surprised herself at the sounds that escaped her when she came, and Daryl's growl at her was loud enough that she wouldn't have been surprised if he'd woken the baby…and she didn't even want to think, as she came down from her high, what poor Michonne and Tyreese had been subjected to if the house wasn't absolutely sound proof.

"What brought that on?" Carol asked, panting and turning to Daryl in the bed who was lying on his stomach beside her.

Daryl leaned up on his arm.

"D'I hurt'cha or somethin'?" He asked.

Carol smiled and shook her head.

"No…I was hoping to find out what it was…so I could do it again," she said.

Daryl chuckled.

"Just needed ta be done," Daryl growled. "We got us a damn house now…gonna make us a fuckin' safe place ta live…we gonna have us a life, woman, an' it's gonna be a damn good one."

Carol smiled and moved herself enough to kiss Daryl, her hand trailing over the soft skin of his back…over the scars that once he'd been ashamed of but now he barely noticed, just as she barely noticed her own…a tribute, perhaps, to how far they'd come.

"As long as I've got you…and Cayden," Carol said, "it's a good life."

Daryl growled low in his throat and brought his lips back to hers for a second before dropping his head like he was considering giving into the post-coital fatigue that was threatening to overtake him.

Carol lie down too, but after a moment she raised back up and stopped before she blew out the lamp.

"Somethin' wrong?" Daryl asked.

Carol frowned at him and scrunched up her nose.

"Do you mind if…" she paused. "I miss Cayden…do you think he could sleep in here? Just for tonight?"

Daryl chuckled and sighed before he got out of the bed, slipping into his boxers, and started toward the bedroom door that was cracked because she hoped it would allow her to hear the baby if he cried.

"I'm bringin' him to ya," Daryl said. "An' then I'm draggin' the whole damn crib in here 'cause I ain't fooled for one damn minute that'cha ass is gonna be weaned in just a night."

Carol chuckled.

"We both love you," she offered, her voice low.

"Mmmm…ya better…" Daryl teased.


	20. Chapter 20

**AN: Hi everyone. Things have been busy and are heading toward busier…but I wanted to drop this off for you so you didn't think I'd run away. **

**I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think! **

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Carol almost felt ashamed, after the week or so that they'd been there, at how happy she was. She wasn't supposed to be happy…not in a world like this…not after all they'd suffered. But she was. She was so happy that she pinched herself from time to time to remind her that she wasn't dreaming.

The only thing…and Carol had decided it was literally the only thing…that could have made her any happier would be to have Sophia there with them.

She thought about it so often, in fact, that she'd begun to dream of Sophia, but not as she'd seen her last…a vision that haunted her at times…but as a budding woman, growing like Carl was growing, thrilled to have the safe and warm place that they'd found.

Tonight, though, like it did many nights, the dream that was pleasant woke her up with her heart clenching. It woke her up, calling out, the sound of her own voice ringing in her ears, because she wanted so badly to hold her daughter when she knew she never would again.

Carol sat up in the bed, almost straight as a board, from the sheer jolt of being ejected out of her dream. Her heart ached, even as she was just coming to her senses in the darkness, and she sat for a moment, her hand on her chest, feeling her heart pound beneath her ribcage.

Once she'd calmed a little…the sadness starting to fade into the dull ache that Carol was sure was never actually going to leave her…she realized it was too quiet in the room. Daryl wasn't in the room. That's why he hadn't shaken her gently awake before she reached the part of the dream…always the same dream…where she saw Sophia just across the valley of their new home and, overwhelmed with happiness and the need to wrap her arms around her, ran for her as hard as she could, calling out to her.

But in the dream she never reached Sophia…she never got to wrap her arms around her and pull her into her…she always woke, violently if Daryl didn't wake her first, screaming out her name.

At least she wasn't sobbing this time…that was an improvement on the new dream created for her by her subconscious.

Carol eased out of the bed and got to her feet, heading to Cayden's crib.

Each night for the time since they'd settled on the house being theirs, Daryl had moved the crib just an inch or so toward the door, as though Carol wouldn't recognize it. It was clear, now, that he was intending on doing this until he had edged their son right on out of the room and back to the nursery that was barely used for the time being. Carol realized what he was doing, but she didn't let on that she noticed a thing. He was proud of his plan…though she wasn't sure that he had noticed that every other night she moved it back at least an inch, prolonging the journey.

No matter where he moved it, though, she could still find it in the dark. It didn't matter if it moved at all…her feet would find the right number of steps without her even having to think about it.

And even though Cayden was obviously sleeping quietly, Carol needed him after those dreams.

When she reached the crib in the blackness, though, and reached inside, she found the crib empty. Immediately seized by fear, her hands searched out each and every inch of the wooden crib, a sob she'd avoided rising in her throat even as her brain told her that Daryl, wherever he was, obviously had the baby.

Carol stumbled back toward the bed, her feet unable to find the bed with the same skill they found the crib, and felt around, looking for the lamp in the darkness and lighting it with shaky hands she was willing herself to control.

She wanted Cayden more desperately now than before and she forced herself to take a few deep breaths to steady the flame enough to light the lamp and to keep herself from having a panic attack over what her brain already knew was simply Daryl tending to one of the baby's needs instead of waking her to do it.

"Is everything OK?" Carol heard Michonne's voice call from outside the room.

Carol might have woken her when she called out in her dream.

The close quarters of the house, though offering more privacy than many of the other locations they'd been had offered, didn't offer total privacy. Both couples seemed to silently agree that they wouldn't comment or acknowledge the sounds of each other's carnal needs…but Michonne was always quick to at least call out a question when she heard something that sounded more like terror and less like pleasure.

"Fine…" Carol struggled to get out. "Have you heard Daryl up?"

Carol came to the door of the room quickly, having slipped her feet into her shoes in case she had to venture farther out than the bottom floor in search of her husband and child.

Michonne, not being modest in the slightest, stood just outside the door in just a long sleeve, button down shirt that Carol had seen Tyreese wear many times before…something obviously thrown on simply long enough to check on things.

Michonne shook her head.

"I just woke up when I heard you…" Michonne said, her voice obviously heavy now with interrupted sleep.

Carol sucked in a breath and nodded her head.

"Sophia?" Michonne asked.

Carol nodded again.

Michonne understood…she'd put her own daughters down…she understood better than anyone else, perhaps.

And Carol knew that Michonne was haunted with her own nightmares, especially since the pregnancy.

Michonne nodded.

"You need anything?" She asked.

Carol shook her head.

"Just to find Daryl and Cayden," she said. "But you go back to sleep…I'll find them…"

"Do you want me to wake Ty?" Michonne asked, her voice raising slightly in concern.

Carol shook her head again.

"I'm sure I'll find them…it's fine," Carol offered. She realized that just the few moments of seeing her friend, of talking to her, had slowed her pulse and calmed her breathing…leaving her feeling confident that Daryl was close by and her son was safe and protected in his father's arms.

Michonne nodded again, mumbled a goodnight that Carol echoed, and turned, dragging her feet as she made her way back to the comfort and warmth of her own bed and the man who, most probably, hadn't woken.

Carol slipped down the stairs and made a quick check of the house, almost jogging from room to room, her chest tightening just a little at the realization that Daryl wasn't in the house…and neither was Cayden…and it was freezing outside.

Carol stopped by the door where cloaks and coats and everything they'd gathered for the cold were piled up and took one of the coats, pulling it on quickly. She yanked open the door and stepped out on the porch, not sure where to begin her search but knowing that one was going to happen or she'd die of a heart attack just from the fears her brain could come up with to knit together for her.

But her search ended before it had even began.

Just as Carol had stepped out into the cold, the lantern in her hand…two things simultaneously happened. First, she slipped her hand into the coat pocket, realizing she'd come out unarmed, and was satisfied to find a sheathed knife in there of some sort that could serve in a tight spot, and second she'd heard the creak and knock of one of the old rockers on the porch.

Carol turned her head quickly toward the sound and found Daryl there, his crossbow on the floor just beside him, staring back at her as she raised the lamp at him and smoking a cigarette.

"Cayden…" she said.

"Shhh…" Daryl said. "'S fine…sleepin' here…bundled up against my chest."

Daryl raised the edge of the coat he had against his chest just enough to barely show one tiny hand to Carol in the light before he covered it over quickly.

"No Walkers?" She asked.

Dary shook his head.

"None ta speak of," he said. "Got my crossbow here…"

He gestured toward the weapon that she had already seen.

"He was awake in his crib…but he weren't fussin'…so I figured he might as well keep me comp'ny…lil' thing didn't even hang with me ten minutes though an' he was out," Daryl said smirking.

Carol smiled, her heartbeat and her breathing evened out.

"What'cha doin' up?" Daryl asked.

"The dream," Carol said.

"Sophia?" Daryl asked.

Carol nodded.

Daryl held up his right arm, the free one, in Carol's direction and waved at her.

"Come 'ere," he drawled quietly. "Sit with me…"

Carol shook her head, but she did walk closer, leaning against the banister that was snow covered and cold.

"If you didn't have Cayden I might try it," she said. "But I wouldn't want to break the chair and him get hurt…"

Daryl chuckled lightly.

"Might break the chair," he said, "but it wouldn't be 'cause a' you…it'd be 'cause the shit's old an' the weather's almost beat it ta hell an' back."

"It's cold out here," Carol said. "Why didn't you sit with him near the fireplace?"

"He's plenty warm," Daryl said. "An' I wanted ta smoke…an' it's nice…just so damn quiet out here."

Carol looked around in the darkness…really unable to see anything…but she'd already memorized the view from the porch…from their porch. And it was nice…and it was quiet.

Around them the smell of wood burning in the chimneys of the other houses hung in the air. They were doing what they could these days…going on runs…making plans…but mostly they were hunkering down against the cold and waiting patiently for the thaw to begin, which would be quite the wait if they were correct on guessing how long it would take.

But they all seemed relatively safe. At most they'd seen probably two dozen Walkers in the area, and that was spread out since they'd first arrived. The fences they were planning on building would be more than enough to guarantee their safety unless the thaw also brought with it hoards of defrosting and decomposing Walkers.

Carol knew, too, that Daryl was pleased with the location in every way he could possibly be pleased. It was written all over him that he loved everything about the life they had right now…and the life they were planning. She'd never seen him quite as enveloped by the future as he was at the moment, and that was a concept they were all having a bit of difficulty adjusting to…the fact that they felt for once that there was actually a future to think about.

"He's asleep now," Carol said. "Come back to bed?"

Daryl had already flicked out the cigarette he'd been smoking and he regarded her a moment before nodding his head slightly. He reached his right hand over, catching up his crossbow, and rocked forward, gaining his feet.

Carol followed behind him as he made his way into the house and she peeled off her coat by the door and helped him take the coat off of Cayden that he'd had him covered with, careful not to wake the baby more than she had to.

Cayden sighed a little, lifting his head ever so slightly before settling it back against Daryl's chest and finding the thumb that had been lazily lying in his mouth to suck it vigorously a moment before stopping again.

Carol smiled, her heart beating in the familiar skipping pace that sometimes overtook her when she looked at Cayden and thought about how much he was growing…how much he was thriving…when it seemed like so many times she'd worried that he'd never make it.

Daryl, not swept up in the moment, started toward the stairs and Carol stayed close behind him, lighting the way for him though he'd found his way out of the house in the darkness.

Upstairs, Daryl eased the baby into the crib and held his hand on him a moment, just as she'd taught him to do, until Cayden settled back into sleep with the sucking sound of his thumb.

"Where's his pacifier?" Carol asked.

"In his crib, I reckon," Daryl said. "Didn't have it when I got him out…don't guess it matters since God thought ta give him some stuff ta suck on…"

Carol smiled and nodded.

"You're right," she said.

Carol slipped into bed at the same time Daryl did and she blew out the lamp without even asking him if he was ready for her to do so. He didn't protest, though, and she put her head on her pillow. She could hear Cayden breathing…she could hear Daryl sighing slightly, clearing his throat softly, preparing to sleep.

She closed her eyes, surprised to feel Daryl's hand suddenly searching out her face and before she could say anything, his lips finding hers.

But it was always a pleasant surprise and she returned he kiss, scooching her body closer to his for the warmth, but mostly for the comfort. Daryl wrapped his arm around her, his chin resting just against her shoulder, and Carol closed her eyes again, knowing Cayden would wake her soon to eat, and morning would come before they knew it and their house would fill, as it did at every meal hour, with everyone overflowing the downstairs and expecting breakfast that Carol often prepared with the help of whoever was willing to offer it for the day.

"What'cha reckon would happen if ya was ta catch her?" Daryl mumbled suddenly.

"What?" Carol asked, not opening her eyes.

"Sophia," Daryl said. "If ya was ta catch her in the dream…what'cha reckon would happen?"

Carol lie there for a moment, thinking. She had no idea what might happen if she was to catch Sophia in the dream. Obviously nothing would really happen…but maybe it would at least be a moment, even if it was a moment captured in sleep…of happiness at having her daughter back in her arms.

"I don't know," Carol said. "But I'd love to catch her…just once…just for a moment…" Carol admitted, a lump rising in her throat that she knew she'd never swallow down but would eventually fade away on its own.

"I hope ya catch her, then," Daryl said. "An' I hope…"

His voice broke off and he shifted a little.

"I hope it's all ya want it ta be…even if it ain't much…" Daryl said.

Carol smiled to herself, the lump aching in the back of her throat.

"Goodnight, Daryl…" Carol said, wanting to sleep, sure that the dream wouldn't return tonight…but hoping that if it did, Daryl's hope might be the key to making it happen…whether or not it was foolish to believe that anything really controlled why she did or didn't reach the girl in her dreams.

"Night woman," Daryl said, his voice low and beginning to trail a little. "Love ya…"

"I love you too," Carol said.

Carol sighed and rooted herself into Daryl a little more and he responded first by tightening his grip around her with the arm he held her with and then by planting a gentle kiss…more for show than anything…on the shoulder nearest him.


End file.
